Hortensia Gelabert

Hortensia Gelabert (? – 4 November 1958) was a Cuban-born Actor who moved to Europe early in her career, most of which she built and sustained in Spain. Although she made her film debut as early as 1911, her public impact derived principally from her work as a stage actress.

Early life Hortensia Gelabert was born on Cuba. At least one source gives her birth date as 29 December 1896 and her place of birth as the town of Trinidad, a coastal municipality on the south side of the island: other sources state that there is considerable uncertainty over when, and where on Cuba, she was born.

However, her larger successes came from her work as a stage actress. In 1910 she appeared at Madrid's Comedia Theatre in the premier of Genio y figura, a three-act comedy about an aging seducer, by Carlos Arniches (and others). The "Compañía de Comedias de Hortensia Gelabert" continued to perform till the early months of 1936, though it appears that during the later part of that period Gelabert herself was no longer involved in its productions. In 1931 she abruptly withdrew from her stage work. It is not clear what triggered the move, although later commentators have made a connection with plans that she seems to have had to open a fashion boutique in Madrid. Press coverage indicated approvingly that the two of them had found a charitable use for the profits from the success of one of their shared theatrical venture. Gelabert was also heard on Cuban radios during this time, acting in radio dramas.

Later, for some years she made frequent appearances in the early Cuban television dramas, many of which were adaptations of stage classics that she already knew intimately from her years on the theatre stages in Madrid.

There are suggestions that Hortensia Gelabert may have been planning to visit Spain when she died at Havana on 4 November 1958. In the event, however, and as far as is known, she never returned to Spain after moving to Cuba in 1940.