Yurka, Blanche

Yurka, Blanche [neé Jurka] (1887–1974), actress. Considered one of the finest tragedians of her day, Yurka excelled in Greek, Shakespeare, and modern dramas. She was born in the Bohemian section of Czechoslovakia and came to America as an infant, growing up in St. Paul, Minnesota. When her family moved to New York in 1898, she studied for an opera career at the Metropolitan Opera's school, and she sang there briefly before going onto the legitimate stage. Yurka appeared in several Broadway productions in the 1910s but found fame in the 1920s for her tragic roles, such as Gertrude to John Barrymore's Hamlet (1922), Gina in The Wild Duck (1925), and Hedda Tesman in Hedda Gabler (1929). Other notable New York performances during her long career included Electra (1932), Helen in Troilus and Cressida (1932), Queen Elizabeth in Gloriana (1938), and Jocasta in Oedipus the King (1945). Her last New York appearance was as The Madwoman of Chaillot Off Broadway in 1970. Yurka was a strong advocate for the new Actors Equity Association and served as one of its officers many times. Autobiography: Bohemian Girl, 1970.