Held, Anna

Held, Anna, 1873?–1918, American musical comedy actress, b. Paris. She is remembered for her beauty and charm and for her tempestuous off-stage life. After she had small singing and dancing parts in Paris, success came to her when Florenz Ziegfeld (whom she subsequently married) persuaded her to come to the United States to star in the first of his lavish productions, A Parlor Match (1896). She was long a favorite on the New York stage; some of her outstanding performances were seen in The Little Duchess, The Parisian Model, and Miss Innocence.