Fiske, Minnie Maddern (1865-1932)

US stage actor. She began acting as a child and graduated to ingenue parts, eventually reaching stardom as Stella in In Spite of All. She bought the Manhattan Theatre and produced several big successes.

She was born into a theatrical family in New Orleans and made her stage debut in her mother's arms at the age of three. In her many child roles, including Little Eva in Uncle Tom's Cabin, she was praised as mature beyond her years. She turned to serious roles including Nora in A Doll's House and Tess in Tess of the d'Urbervilles. It was partly in response to a conflict with the Theatrical Syndicate, which tried to block their enterprises, that she bought the Manhattan Theatre.