Sarah Biala (born Sarah Bialablotcky; February 5, 1881 – March 15, 1963) was a Polish-born American actress active on Broadway.
Early life Sarah Blotcky was born in Pilvishok, Lithuania, the daughter of Jacob Blotcky and Miriam (Mary) Werblofsky Blotcky. In early childhood, she moved to the United States with her family."Many Compliments over 'War Brides'" Houston Post (April 11, 1916): 7. via Newspapers.com She was raised in Iowa,John L. Shipley, "Plays and Players" Des Moines Tribune (October 31, 1907): 5. via Newspapers.com and studied oratory at Drake University. She also studied music in Chicago."About Sara Biala" Philadelphia Inquirer (December 14, 1913): 51. via Newspapers.com"Success of a Des Moines Girl on the Stage" Des Moines Register (June 25, 1911): 11. via Newspapers.com
Career
Sarah Blotcky performed as a "dramatic reciter" in the midwest before going to New York."Noted Impersonator Coming" Willmar Tribune (October 10, 1903): 5. via Newspapers.com Sarah Biala's first Broadway show was A Citizen's Home (1909). She continued to appear on Broadway, with roles in Baby Mine (1910), The Clouds (1911),"Little Stories of the New Plays" Green Book Album (September 1911): 533. The Ghost Breaker (1913), Pilate's Daughter (1914), Some Baby! (1915), Paganini (1916), The Torches (1917),"The Torches" Theatre Magazine (December 1917): 351. and The Broken Chain (1929).Dixie Hines, Harry Prescott Hanaford, eds., Who's who in Music and Drama (H. P. Hanaford 1914): 374, 405, 472."'The Broken Chain' Written with Fervor" New York Times (February 21, 1929): 24. During World War I she appeared in two topical dramas: War Brides (1916),"Orpheum" The Allentown Leader (January 15, 1916): 8. via Newspapers.com and The Weaker One (1918)."War Playlet at the Palace" New York Times (March 5, 1918): 9. She also appeared in Mary Magdalene and The Snow Storm at the Hackett Theatre in New York,"Hackett-Mary Magdalene" New York Dramatic Mirror (May 28, 1910): 3."The Snow Storm" New York Dramatic Mirror (June 11, 1910): 4. and in Three Spoonfuls in London in 1915."Des Moines Girl Makes Good on London Stage" Des Moines Register (May 8, 1915): 2. via Newspapers.com"'Three Spoonfuls' at the Criterion" Illustrated London News (April 17, 1915): 486. She appeared in several silent films, including The Heart of a Gypsy (1919), The Fear Market (1920), and The Law of the Yukon (1920).Paul Mavis, The Espionage Filmography: United States Releases, 1898 through 1999 (McFarland ): 137.
Biala was described as having "deep, tragic eyes". In 1910, she was refused membership in the Three Arts Club because she was Jewish."Our New York Weekly Bulletin" The Reform Advocate (June 18, 1910): 919. In 1934 she returned to New York to study acting with Frances Duff-Robinson."Sara Biala Cohen Studying in N. Y." Des Moines Tribune (February 28, 1934): 18. via Newspapers.com
Personal life Sarah Biala married Harry D. Cohen in 1920, in Chicago. They lived in Iowa, where she sometimes gave dramatic readings."Mrs. Sol Davidson is Hostess to Society" Des Moines Register (July 25, 1926): 55. via Newspapers.com"Club Will Hear Fantasy Reading" Des Moines Tribune (March 9, 1933): 14. via Newspapers.com She died in 1963, aged 82 years. Her remains were buried in the Jewish cemetery in Des Moines, Iowa.
References
External links
Sara Biala's listing on IBDB. Sara Biala Cohen's gravesite on Find a Grave.