[Deathwatch] Uta Hagen, actress, 84

[Deathwatch Central <cdw@slick.org>]

Uta Hagen, Award-Winning Stage Actress, Dead at 84
	
Thu Jan 15
	
By Larry Fine

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Award-winning stage actress and acting teacher Uta
Hagen, who originated the role of acid-tongued Martha in "Who's Afraid
of Virginia Woolf?" on Broadway, died on Wednesday at her Manhattan
home. She was 84.

Born in Goettingen, Germany, and raised in Madison, Wisconsin, Hagen
was celebrated for her work in classical and modern plays ranging from
Shakespeare and Chekhov to Edward Albee, Tennessee Williams and
Clifford Odets.

Hagen died after a long illness, according to Barnetta Carter, managing
director of HB Studios, which the actress founded in the 1950s with her
late husband, Herbert Berghof. She continued to teach at the school
until a few months ago.

Broadway theaters will dim their marquee lights at 8 p.m. on Thursday
(0100 GMT Friday) in honor of Hagen.

Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, Hagen made her
Broadway debut in 1938 in "The Seagull," by Anton Chekhov.

She won her first Tony Award as best actress in the title role of
Clifford Odets' "The Country Girl," in 1951. Twelve years later, she
won another Tony for her portrayal of Martha in Edward Albee's "Who's
Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

Other roles included Desdemona opposite Paul Robeson in a 1943
production of "Othello," and her turn as Blanche in Tennessee Williams'
"A Streetcar Named Desire" after replacing Jessica Tandy.

In 1999, Hagen received a Tony for lifetime achievement.

Although she concentrated almost exclusively on stage work, Hagen made
appearances in several films over the years, including "The Boys from
Brazil" in 1978 and "Reversal of Fortune" in 1990.

Albee praised Hagen as "a profoundly truthful actress," and as a
"dedicated and demanding teacher," The New York Times said.

Carter said she had studied under Hagen at HB Studios.

"Uta was wonderfully energetic and had an amazing curiosity about
everything around her," Carter said. "She was a very alive spirit and
she was truly a very giving spirit."

She is survived by Leticia Ferrer, her daughter by the late actor Jose
Ferrer, whom Hagen was married to from 1938 to 1948.