Minnie Maddern Fiske

A leading actress at the turn of the twentieth century, Minnie Maddern Fiske was the only child of actor parents with their own theater company. She debuted on stage at age three as the Duke of York in Richard III and rose to prominence in 1882 when she toured in Fogg’s Ferry by Charles E. Callahan. A proponent of realism in acting, Fiske focused on the internal processes of characters, favoring subtlety over monologues and asides. She championed the work of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, starring in works such as A Doll’s House. With her second husband, Harrison Grey Fiske, owner of the New York Dramatic Mirror, she spoke vehemently against the Theatrical Syndicate. It employed tactics from the burgeoning industrial trusts to exert a tight monopoly over theater productions and venues around the country.