Hedwiga Reicher

Hedwiga Reicher (Born Hedwig Reicher; 12 June 1884 – 2 September 1971) was a German actress. Her performances on Broadway were credited with the original spelling of her first name.^[2]

Hedwiga Reicher
Reicher in 1908
Born	Hedwig Reicher (1884-06-12)12 June 1884 Oldenburg, Germany[citation needed]
Died	2 September 1971(1971-09-02) (aged 87) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other names	Hedwig Reicher Celia Sibelius
Occupation(s)	Opera singer, actress
Notable work	Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939)
Children	1
Parent	Emanuel Reicher
Relatives	Frank Reicher (half-brother), Ernst Reicher (brother)[1]

Reicher was named Hedwig, but she altered the spelling after she came to the United States because some people called her "Mr. Hedwig".^[3] She was the half-sister of actor Frank Reicher, sister of actor and screenwriter Ernst Reicher, and daughter of actor Emanuel Reicher.^[4][5] Another brother, Hans Reicher, was a sculptor, and her sister, Elly, was an actress.^[3]

Reicher's film debut came in The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, produced by Ferdinand Earle.^[3]

In addition to acting, Reicher produced two plays with her father and in 1921 had a solo production of Monna Vanna at Los Angeles's Little Theater. She also acted in all three.^[3]

On 2 February 1934, Reicher married concert pianist and music teacher Maurice Zam in Hollywood, California.^[6]

Hedwig Reicher at the Woman Suffrage Procession in front of the Treasury Building in Washington, D.C., on 3 March 1913.^[7]

Selected filmography

• A Lover's Oath (1925) – Hassan's wife
• The King of Kings (1927) – (uncredited)
• The Leopard Lady (1928) – Fran Holweg
• True Heaven (1929) – Madame Grenot
• The Godless Girl (1929) – Prison Matron
• Lucky Star (1929) – Mrs. Tucker
• Mordprozeß Mary Dugan (1931) – Mrs. Rice
• Beyond Victory (1931) – German Nurse (uncredited)
• Sporting Chance (1931) – Aunt Hetty
• The Dragon Murder Case (1934) – Mrs. Schwartz (uncredited)
• Rendezvous (1935) – De Segroff's Associate (uncredited)
• The House of a Thousand Candles (1936) – Maria
• I Married a Doctor (1936) – Bessie Valborg
• Dracula's Daughter (1936) – the innkeeper's wife (uncredited)
• It Could Happen to You (1937) – German Woman at Boardinghouse (uncredited)
• Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939) – Lisa Kassel
• Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet (1940) – Nurse (uncredited, Last appearance)

Broadway roles

• On the Eve (1909), her Broadway debut
• The Next of Kin (1909)
• Henrik Ibsen's The Lady from the Sea (1911) – Ellida
• The Thunderbolt (1911)
• June Madness (1912) – Mrs. Thornborough
• The Stronger (1913)
• When the Young Vine Blooms (1915)
• Caliban of the Yellow Sands (1916) – Cleopatra

--Source: Internet Broadway Database^[2]

Other

Reicher was hired to portray the mythological figure Columbia for the Woman Suffrage Procession, a suffrage parade on 3 March 1913, in Washington, D.C. According to news reports at the time,^{[citation needed]} the group, which included 5000 to 8000 suffragists, marched from the US Capitol to the Treasury Building, and was watched by a crowd of 500,000 (mostly men). Their intent was to upstage Woodrow Wilson's inauguration, due to take place the following day.