Singer and Actress. She was known as 'The Hungarian Nightingale,' an epithet given her by writer Mór Jókai. Blaha's parents were travelling actors, and she first performed aged 15 in Szabadka. She received acting training from the Budapest School of Dramatic Arts. She joined the national theatre five years later and between 1871 and 1900 she played almost 200 parts in plays, mostly Hungarian "folk plays" or "Volksstuck", patriotic plays celebrating peasant life. Apart from her theater work, she would also draw crowds at balls, the banquets and torchlight music events organised by the Mulató-klub (The Club of Amusements), and she was also active as an operetta singer. She also appeared in two silent films. The first, A táncz ("Dance", 1901) was an educational documentary short by Pekár Gyula, while the second, A nagymama (The Grandmother, 1916) sees her play the title role in the Alexander Korda film. She played an important role in popularizing Hungarian gypsy songs. Her final performance in 1908 was in Csiky Gergely's play Nagymama ("grandmother").
Singer and Actress. She was known as 'The Hungarian Nightingale,' an epithet given her by writer Mór Jókai. Blaha's parents were travelling actors, and she first performed aged 15 in Szabadka. She received acting training from the Budapest School of Dramatic Arts. She joined the national theatre five years later and between 1871 and 1900 she played almost 200 parts in plays, mostly Hungarian "folk plays" or "Volksstuck", patriotic plays celebrating peasant life. Apart from her theater work, she would also draw crowds at balls, the banquets and torchlight music events organised by the Mulató-klub (The Club of Amusements), and she was also active as an operetta singer. She also appeared in two silent films. The first, A táncz ("Dance", 1901) was an educational documentary short by Pekár Gyula, while the second, A nagymama (The Grandmother, 1916) sees her play the title role in the Alexander Korda film. She played an important role in popularizing Hungarian gypsy songs. Her final performance in 1908 was in Csiky Gergely's play Nagymama ("grandmother").
Bio by: Ola K Ase
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