Uta Hagen

Uta Hagen was born in Gottingen, Germany in 1919 to Thyra A. (nee Leisner) and Oskar Hagen. Both of her parents were artists in their own rights: her mother was an opera singer and her father founded the Handel Opera Festival. Hagen immigrated to Madison, Wisconsin with her parents in 1924 and remained there until the age of sixteen. She moved to New York City in 1937 and went on to play leading roles on Broadway and in national touring productions.

Hagen married her first husband, actor Jose Ferrer, in 1938 and performed with him in a production of Othello. The two had a daughter, Leticia, before their divorce. In 1947, she met her future husband, actor Herbert Berghof, and began teaching at his acting conservatory, the HB Studio. Hagen took over the studio after his death in 1990 and remained there until her health began to deteriorate. Hagen suffered a stroke in 2001, and died in New York City in 2004.

Key Dates & Events

• 1924 - Hagen emigrates to Madison, Wisconsin with her parents.
• 1936 - Hagen leaves college to study acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
• 1937 - Hagen moves to New York City.
• 1938 - Hagen Hagen plays the role of Nina in The Seagull alongside Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne.
• 1938 - Hagen marries her first husband, actor Jose Ferrer.
• 1947 - Hagen meets her second husband, actor Herbert Berghof.
• 1957 - Hagen originates the role of Georgie in The Country Girl for which she won her first Tony Award.
• 1962 - Hagen originates the role of Martha in Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf on Broadway, winning her second Tony Award.
• 1990 - Hagen takes over the HB Studio following the death of her husband.
• 1999 - Hagen is awarded an honorary Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement.
• 2001 - Directors Karen Ludwig and Pennie du Pont film Hagen teaching throughout the country and release the footage entitled “Uta Hagen’s Acting Class”.
• 2002 - Hagen is awarded the National Medal of the Arts.
• 2016 - The Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival presents the first Uta Hagen Award.