Name Maria Bia | ||
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Maria Francisca Bia called Mimi, (1809–1889) was a Dutch ballet dancer, opera singer and dramatic stage actress.
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Biography
She was born in Amsterdam to the ballet dancers Jean Lambert Bia (1767–1829) and Catherine Rebecca Grave (1782–1846) and married in 1828 to Reinier Engelman (1795–1845), actor and theatre director, and in 1865 to Jan Eduard de Vries (1808–1875) actor and theatre director.
She debuted as a ballet dancer in her childhood, as an actor in 1819 and as an opera singer in 1823. She was in 1827-1859 active at the theatre in Amsterdam and in 1859-1865 at the theatre in Rotterdam. Her influence within the theatre was great: she either took the leading roles herself, or could influence who was given them. She was active at the Théâtre Français in Paris in 1842-44.
Bia was regarded as one of the greatest actors of her time in the Netherlands.
Special
In June 2000 the painting of Maria Francisca Bia by H.A. Sangster has been partly damaged by a burglary in the Amsterdam Stadsschouwburg, while a bronze mask (1923) was stolen by the famous Amsterdam sculptor Hildo Krop.