Actress, Singer. She gained fame as one of the most popular American entertainers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was a beautiful, buxom stage actress and a soprano singer, who specialize in light comedies and comic operas. She was known for her flamboyant lifestyle, such as riding down Broadway on her gold-plated bicycle with handlebars that bore a monogram encrusted in jewels. Born Helen Louise Leonard, one of five sisters, she was educated in Roman Catholic schools. She and her mother came to New York City when she was sixteen years old to study voice, and her first performance was 1879 in the chorus of "Brooklyn" aboard the "H.M.S. Pinafore." She performed in New York City before joining a touring group. She performed in several Gilbert and Sullivan's productions. After gaining experience, she organized her own production of "Patience" with John McCaull at Niblo's Theater, opening on June of 1882 and had a 92-performance success. More than once, she did not honor her contract to perform, thus impacting her career with court cases. She made her London debut in July of 1883 in Edward Solomon's "Virginia and Paul". From 1891 to 1893 she headed the Lillian Russel Opera House. During this time her sister, Suzanne Leonard, had a few minor roles in her productions. She joined the Weber and Fields' Broadway Music Hall in 1899, but with voice difficulties, had to change from musicals to dramatic roles by 1904. She did eventually return to musical roles. Throughout her career, she appeared in a host of shows, some more successful than others. Her appearance in "Hokey Pokey" in 1912 was her last Broadway musical. She had a cameo appearance on Broadway in "The Beauty Shop" in 1914, before fully retiring in 1919. She married four times: Harry Braham, ended divorce; Edward Solomon, an annulled nine-year marriage with his conviction of being a bigamist; John Chatterton, ended in divorce; and Alexander Moore, a newspaper man who became her widower. She had a long-time relationship with railroad tycoon Diamond Jim Brady, who supported her flamboyant lifestyle for decades. She and Solomon were the parents of her only child to live to adulthood, Dorothy, who followed her mother's path in many ways, including appearing in Broadway plays. As an independent, successful and talented woman, she met physically and mentally abusive relationships with men. Her fashion sense, especially her glamourous hats, became the feminine ideal of her generation. She wrote newspaper articles on beauty for the women's pages of the "Chicago Herald" and the "Chicago Tribune." After retirement, she became civic-minded and supported women's rights. At age 60, she died from "cardiac exhaustion." At the order of the Unites States Secretary of the Navy, Theodore Roosevelt, a Marine guard was present at her funeral. She was played by actress Alice Faye in the 1940 Fox film "Lillian Russell."