Helena Modrzejewska (Jadwiga Benda, born 1840, Free City of Kraków – died 1909, Newport Beach, California, U.S.), known professionally as Helena Modjeska, was a renowned Polish actress who specialized in Shakespearean and tragic roles. In July 1876, after spending more than a decade as the reigning diva of the Polish national theater, for reasons both personal and political, Modjeska and her husband chose to immigrate to the United States. The school of her name was established in 1998 in Warsaw.
