Adelaide Ristori

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Ristori, Adelaide (1822–1906), actress. The great Italian tragedienne was usually perceived as the successor to Rachel on international stages. She began the first of several American tours in 1866 as Medea, and continued her season in such roles as Mary Stuart, Phèdre, Adrienne Lecouvreur, Francesca da Rimini, and Lady Macbeth. However, her greatest role in American eyes was unquestionably her Queen Elizabeth in Giacometti's play about the English monarch. J. Ranken Towse wrote of this interpretation, “The haughty carriage, imperious address, fierce temper, blunt humor, petty vanity, masculine sagacity, and feminine jealousy were all indicated with surpassing skill and blended into a consistent whole with finished artistry.” By no means a beautiful woman (the kindest critics called her handsome), she had little delicacy or poetry in her style, excelling instead in power and grandeur. On her last visit, during the 1884–85 season, she attempted to perform in English with disastrous results. Autobiography: Memoirs and Artistic Studies, translated by G. Mantellini, 1907.