Hilda Simms (born Hilda Moses, April , â€" February , ) was an
American stage actress, best known for her starring role on Broadway
in Anna Lucasta.Hilda Simms was born Hilda Moses in Minneapolis,
Minnesota, one of siblings. When Simms starred in the critically
acclaimed Broadway hit Anna Lucasta, her mother Lydia refused to
attend the play on Broadway, stating that she would not watch her
daughter play a prostitute as she didn't raise her that way. Simms and
her siblings were raised devout Catholics in Minneapolis and walked
several miles to school each morning to attend the Basilica of St.
Mary on the outskirts of Minneapolis.Before becoming an actress, Simms
planned to enter the teaching profession. She enrolled at the
University of Minnesota and engaged in her studies until lack of funds
forced her abandon them. Simms relocated to New York, acting in radio
dramas and becoming a member of the American Negro Theater, where she
gained professional acting experience. As a member of this noted
ensemble, she worked on sound effects, props and publicity while
learning her new craft. In New York she met and married William Simms
and adopted his surname.[citation needed]Her first marriage ended in
divorce, although she retained her first husband's surname as her
professional name.The marriage to Simms was short-lived. In , two
years after divorcing him, Simms made her debut in the title role of
Philip Yordan's play, Anna Lucasta. Yordan had originally written the
play for an all-white cast but the show made a huge splash when the
American Negro Theater produced it. The production moved to Broadway
in where it became an early drama featuring African American actors
in work that explored themes un-related to race. When the play toured
abroad, Simms continued playing in Anna Lucasta while enjoying a
singing career in Paris nightclubs under the name Julie Riccardo.
American stage actress, best known for her starring role on Broadway
in Anna Lucasta.Hilda Simms was born Hilda Moses in Minneapolis,
Minnesota, one of siblings. When Simms starred in the critically
acclaimed Broadway hit Anna Lucasta, her mother Lydia refused to
attend the play on Broadway, stating that she would not watch her
daughter play a prostitute as she didn't raise her that way. Simms and
her siblings were raised devout Catholics in Minneapolis and walked
several miles to school each morning to attend the Basilica of St.
Mary on the outskirts of Minneapolis.Before becoming an actress, Simms
planned to enter the teaching profession. She enrolled at the
University of Minnesota and engaged in her studies until lack of funds
forced her abandon them. Simms relocated to New York, acting in radio
dramas and becoming a member of the American Negro Theater, where she
gained professional acting experience. As a member of this noted
ensemble, she worked on sound effects, props and publicity while
learning her new craft. In New York she met and married William Simms
and adopted his surname.[citation needed]Her first marriage ended in
divorce, although she retained her first husband's surname as her
professional name.The marriage to Simms was short-lived. In , two
years after divorcing him, Simms made her debut in the title role of
Philip Yordan's play, Anna Lucasta. Yordan had originally written the
play for an all-white cast but the show made a huge splash when the
American Negro Theater produced it. The production moved to Broadway
in where it became an early drama featuring African American actors
in work that explored themes un-related to race. When the play toured
abroad, Simms continued playing in Anna Lucasta while enjoying a
singing career in Paris nightclubs under the name Julie Riccardo.
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