| Stella Arbenina | |
|---|---|
| Born | Stella Zoe Whishaw 27 September 1885 St. Petersburg, Russia |
| Died | 26 April 1976 (aged 90) London, England, UK |
| Occupation | Actress |
Stella Arbenina (27 September 1885 - 26 April 1976) was a Russian-born English actress.[1]
Born Stella Zoe Whishaw in St. Petersburg, Russia into an English family who had mader their home in Russia for several generations, she was married in 1907 to Baron Paul Meyendorff Captain in the Horse Guards and Aides-de-camp to Tsar Nicholas II in 1907 and then later Colonel in his Military Secretariat. Arbenina and Meyendorff had three children.[2]
During the Russian Revolution the family suffered greatly under the Bolsheviks.[3] Their possessions were seized and they were imprisoned. Through efforts by the Baltic Germans Committee they were released from prison and finally permitted to leave Russia at end of 1918. They settled briefly in Estonia where they lived on a remnant of the family estates. Arbenina acted in theatres in Tallinn and Tartu, and also in Berlin, in from 1921 to 1922. In 1923 she arrived with children to London, where she permanently settled, appearing in English stage and film roles.
In 1930, she released her memoirs, Through Terror to Freedom, which describes her experiences during the Russian Revolution.