Maria Ouspenskaya

Maria Ouspenskaya (1876–1949) was a Russian-American actress and acting teacher. She became known to American film audiences for roles in Waterloo Bridge and The Wolf Man.

Richard Boleslawski: A Polish-born actor, director, and teacher who helped bring Stanislavski-based training to the United States. He and Ouspenskaya were colleagues in the American Laboratory Theatre and shared its Russian theatrical heritage.
Waterloo Bridge (1940 film): A romantic drama directed by Mervyn LeRoy, starring Vivien Leigh and Robert Taylor. Ouspenskaya played Madame Olga Kirowa and received an Academy Award nomination for the role.
American Laboratory Theatre: A New York acting school and theatre company founded by Richard Boleslawski and Maria Ouspenskaya in 1923. It was the institution where Ouspenskaya taught the acting methods she had learned in Russia.
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress: An annual Academy Award recognizing a performance in a supporting role in a film. Ouspenskaya was nominated twice in this category, for Waterloo Bridge and Love Affair.
Konstantin Stanislavski: A Russian actor and director who developed an influential system of actor training. His approach to acting shaped the theatrical tradition Ouspenskaya taught in the United States.
The Wolf Man (1941 film): A Universal horror film starring Lon Chaney Jr. as a man transformed by a werewolf's bite. Ouspenskaya played Maleva, the Romani woman who explains the werewolf's curse.
Moscow Art Theatre: A Russian theatre company founded in 1898 by Konstantin Stanislavski and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko. Ouspenskaya trained and performed there before moving to the United States.
Love Affair (1939 film): A romantic drama directed by Leo McCarey, starring Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer. Ouspenskaya's performance earned her first Academy Award nomination for supporting actress.
Alla Nazimova: A Russian-American stage and screen actress who became a prominent Hollywood star during the silent era. Like Ouspenskaya, she carried a Russian theatrical background into American acting and film.
The Wolf Man (1941 soundtrack): The musical score composed by Charles Previn for the 1941 Universal horror film. The film's atmosphere frames Ouspenskaya's scenes as Maleva, though the score was not her contribution.

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