Uta Thyra Hagen (
June 12,
1919 –
January 14,
2004) was a
German-born
American actress and acting teacher.
Biography
Early life
Born in
Göttingen,
Germany, her family emigrated to the
United States in 1924, when her father got a position at
Cornell University.
[Port of New York, passenger list of the S.S. Luetzow, September 4, 1924, sheet 41.] She was raised in
Madison, Wisconsin. She appeared in productions of the University of Wisconsin High School and in summer stock productions of the Wisconsin Players. She studied acting briefly at the
Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1936.
[Port of New York, passenger list of the S.S. Westernland, December 24, 1936, sheet 165.] After spending one semester at the
University of Wisconsin, where her father was the head of the department of art history, she left for New York City in 1937.
["Lady Invincible", Wisconsin Academy Review, vol. 46, issue 4, Fall 2000.] Her first professional role was as Ophelia opposite
Eva Le Gallienne in the title role of
Hamlet in Dennis, Massachusetts, in 1937.
