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Eugenie Leontovich (Russian: Евге́ния Леонто́вич; March 21, 1900,Moscow, Tsarist Russia – April 3, 1993, New York City) was a Russian-born stage actress with a distinguished career in theatre, film and television. She was described as "[o]ne of the most colourful figures of the 20th-century theatre, a successful actress, producer, playwright and teacher." Born in Moscow, although the year of her birth has been disputed, with some sources citing 1896, others 1900, she studied at that city's Imperial School of Dramatic Art, and then under Meyerhold at the Moscow Art... MORE

Eugenie Leontovich (Russian: Евге́ния Леонто́вич; March 21, 1900,Moscow, Tsarist Russia – April 3, 1993, New York City) was a Russian-born stage actress with a distinguished career in theatre, film and television. She was described as "[o]ne of the most colourful figures of the 20th-century theatre, a successful actress, producer, playwright and teacher." Born in Moscow, although the year of her birth has been disputed, with some sources citing 1896, others 1900, she studied at that city's Imperial School of Dramatic Art, and then under Meyerhold at the Moscow Art Theatre, which she subsequently joined. As the daughter of an officer in the Russian Imperial Army, Leontovich suffered greatly during the Revolution. Her three brothers (who were Army officers like their father) were murdered by the Bolsheviks. In 1922, she "found her way to New York and set about mastering the English language". Her success in doing so led to Broadway stardom. After touring the country in Blossom Time, she was cast as Grusinskaya in an adaptation of Vicki Baum's novel Grand Hotel. An enormous success, the play, which opened in 1930, was later filmed with Garbo in the part created by Leontovich. After LESS