Hester Sondergaard

American actress

Hugh De Lacy
​
(after 1949)​
RelativesGale Sondergaard (sister)

Hester Sondergaard (July 5, 1903 – February 26, 1994)[1] was an American actress.

Early years

Born in Litchfield, Minnesota,[2] Sondergaard was the daughter of Hans T. Søndergaard, a dairy instructor at a university, and the sister of actress Gale Sondergaard.[3] When she was a child, she played violin with Midwestern Chautauqua companies.[2] She attended the University of Minnesota,[4] where she was active in productions of the Masquers Club.[3]

Career

Sondergaard's first professional speaking part came in 1924.[3] After college, she acted with the Wisconsin Players and in venues that included the Civic Repertory Theater in New York.[4] Her Broadway credits include Galileo (1947), My Heart's in the Highlands (1939), Marching Song (1937), Bitter Stream (1936), Mother (1935), and Black Pit (1935).[5]

On radio, Sondergaard was an organizer of The American School of the Air.[4] She also acted on Portia Faces Life, Road of Life, Wendy Warren and the News,[2] and We Love and Learn.[6] An article in the December 1949 issue of Radio and Television Mirror magazine described Sondergaard as having "one of the largest repertories [sic] of dialects of any actress", being able to sound authentic in roles using any of 11 accents.[2]

Sondergaard taught dramatics at the Dramatic School of New York.[4]

Personal life

In 1949, Sondergaard married politician Hugh De Lacy.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Hester, the other Sondergaard daughter".
  2. ^ a b c d "Hester Sondergaard". Radio Television Mirror. 32 (7): 71. December 1949. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c "University Girl to Have Speaking Part at Shubert". Star Tribune. Minnesota, Minneapolis. February 24, 1924. p. 49. Retrieved July 30, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c d Sorensen, Sterling (April 12, 1935). "Drama in Madison: Stage and Screen". The Capital Times. Wisconsin, Madison. p. 6. Retrieved July 30, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "("Hester Sondergaard" search results)". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on July 30, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  6. ^ "In New Role". The Capital Times. Wisconsin, Madison. August 2, 1944. p. 7. Retrieved July 30, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "On Honeymoon". Reno Gazette-Journal. Nevada, Reno. July 11, 1949. p. 2. Retrieved July 30, 2019.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hester Sondergaard.
  • Hester Sondergaard at IMDb