Mathilde Cottrelly

Mathilde Cottrelly (née Meyer; February 7, 1851 – June 15, 1933) was a German-born stage actress, singer, producer, and theatre manager who maintained an active Broadway presence from 1882 to 1926. Born in Hamburg, Germany, she died at her home in Tuckerton, New Jersey.

Her father was an opera conductor in Hamburg, and Cottrelly began performing at an early age. By the time she was sixteen she had married and was singing in light opera. Her first husband, George Cottrelly, died in 1871, and she continued her performing career before emigrating to the United States in 1875. She spent her early American years acting in German-language theatres across the country before joining McCaull's Comic Opera Company in New York. Although English was her second language, her command of it drew notice from the press. Reviewing her first Broadway performance in English in October 1882, the New York Times observed that her mastery of the adopted tongue was complete, and a December 1882 reviewer for the New York Sun remarked that she talked amazingly good English considering her nationality.

Within McCaull's company Cottrelly rose to the position of leading comedian and took on responsibilities well beyond performing, serving as a stage director and costume designer and at times managing the company's finances. McCaull made her a partner in the organization. Musical comedy was her primary focus throughout the 1880s, but as she entered her forties in the 1890s she transitioned into character work, a specialty she maintained for the remainder of her career. Her range was considerable: while many roles drew on German or Yiddish accents, she also received critical recognition for portrayals of French, Spanish, and Swedish characters. She appeared in more than thirty productions between 1895 and 1926.

Her Broadway credits included The Step-Sister, Her Great Match, Business Before Pleasure, the play Children of the Ghetto, and the play The Girl and the Judge, among other productions. Later audiences knew her for playing the hypochondriac Mrs. Cohen in the long-running play Abie's Irish Rose.

Cottrelly was married four times. Her first marriage, to George Cottrelly, lasted from 1866 until his death in 1871; the couple had one son, Alfred, who died in 1903. Her third marriage, to Leopold A. Weste, took place in 1881 and ended in 1885; it was his fourth marriage. Her final marriage, to Thomas J. Wilson, lasted from 1893 until his death in 1923. Cottrelly died of a heart attack on June 15, 1933, in Tuckerton, New Jersey.