Russell, Lillian

Russell, Lillian, 1861–1922, American singer and actress, b. Clinton, Iowa. Her original name was Helen Louise Leonard. She first appeared in light opera in 1879. In the early 1880s her introduction by Tony Pastor at his casino in New York City launched her career as "The American Beauty." After 1899 she appeared at Weber and Fields's Music Hall, with the McCaull Opera Company, and later with her own company. She was noted for her flamboyant personality and for her love of jewelry. Her affair with "Diamond Jim" Brady has become a legend.

Bibliography

See biography by P. Morell (1940).

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Russell, Lillian

 orig. Helen Louise Leonard

(born Dec. 4, 1861, Clinton, Iowa, U.S.—died June 6, 1922, Pittsburgh, Pa.) U.S. singer and actress. She made her stage debut while still in her teens. She achieved stardom in Grand Mogul (1881) and later won acclaim in The Grand Duchess (1890). From 1899 to 1904 she appeared in England and the U.S. with a burlesque company. Representing the feminine ideal of her generation, she was as famous for her flamboyant personal life as for her hourglass figure, her beauty, and her voice. After her fourth marriage in 1912, she wrote a syndicated column on health, beauty, and love and lectured on these topics before vaudeville audiences.

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Russell, Lillian (b. Helen Louise Leonard) (1861–1922) actress, singer; born in Clinton, Iowa. Popular star of the musical stage, a flamboyant blonde beauty known for her unreliability, she appeared in 24 musicals between 1881 and 1899.