| Rosa Rosanova | |
| Birth Date: | 23 June 1869 |
| Birth Place: | Odessa, Kherson Governorate, Russian Empire (now Ukraine) |
| Death Place: | Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Resting Place: | Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Actress |
| Years Active: | 1906–1934 |
Rosa Rosanova (June 23, 1869 – May 29, 1944) was a Russian-born stage and film actress. She appeared in American films including as a starring or supporting actress in the 1920s and 1930s
Born in Russia, Rosanova completed her schooling at age 16 in Moscow.[1] As an actress, she toured with the Svatloff repertory company in Russia, and in 1906 travelled to the United States touring with the Orlanoff company. She immigrated to the United States some time before the Russian Revolution.
Like Vera Gordon, Rosanova frequently portrayed Jewish mothers in early American silent films.[2] Rosanova starred as such a character in Hungry Hearts (1922), His People (1925)[3] [4] and Lucky Boy (1929).[5] In a 1929 profile, the Santa Ana Register described Rosanova's performance in Hungry Hearts as "a powerful characterization that was the outstanding performance of filmdom."
In her book You Never Call! You Never Write!: A History of the Jewish Mother, Joyce Antler described Rosanova as a "a Yiddish star.[6]