Modjeska

The patron of Helena Modjeska Art and Culture Club in Los Angeles, Helena Modjeska (Modrzejewska) was a Shakespearean actress born in Krakow, Poland, on October 12, 1840 (as Jadwiga Benda); who emigrated to California in 1876, became the most famous Shakesperean actress in the U.S., settled on an estate in Orange County (that she called Arden) and died in Newport Beach, California, on April 8, 1909. She appeared in about 4000 performances in 225 cities in the U.S. and Canada and serves as a model for immigrant success for Polish Americans.