- Helena was born in Barcelona, Spain and educated at Clifton High in Bristol, England and tutored under Eileen Hartley Hodder. On graduation from high school, Helena qualified as Lower Cambridge but was accepted at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and London University Drama Program in London under full scholarship. She is a liscentiate of the London Guildhall of Music and Drama and holds a Certificate of Arts Administration, University of Wisconsin, US.
Helena has performed and directed in theatre, film, television, and radio in 16 different countries. She began her professional career performing "Marry Rose" in Inverness, Scotland. She performed in various roles on stage in Oxford, Manchester, Bristol, Canterbury, Gloucester, and Liverpool. She appeared in an episode of "The Adventures of Robin Hood" with Richard Greene: "The York Treasure". She appeared on Broadway in "Anthony and Cleopatra" for Joe Pap with George C. Scott, Coleen Dewhurst, and George Segal among others. She performed in dramatic television programs for CBS, NBC, and ABC and made two national tours with Joan Fountain appearing in "Hillary" by Jerald Savery and in a revival of "Susan and God". She performed Gwendolin the west coast premier of "Becket" and held a contract with Desilu Studios before leaving to return to England.
She traveled to Columbia under Colombia's Department of Culture, Colcultura, taught at the National Drama School and held the Chair of Drama at the University of Nuestra Senora del Rosario, Bogota, Colombia. She created the theatre company "502" which toured Columbia and represented Columbia in Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil. She held the Chair of Drama at the University of San Jose, Costa Rica. Returning to New York, she founded "ReadAloud Theater USA". After traveling and performing in Asia, she founded "Save World Art", an American 501c3 corporation dedicated to preserving indigenous art forms under the threat of extinction. She is now based in Portland, Oregon.
Awards: Many time Eisteddfod Winner, Britain; The ONDRA, Latin America's highest award for contribution to Latin American Theatre; Homenaje de las Flores, Costa Rica; Woman of the Year, Washington DC; Drammy, for Actress of the Year, Portland, Oregon.
Helena is bilingual in Spanish and English
- IMDb mini biography by: Helena de Crespo
- SpouseJerry Leider(June 23, 1958 - 1961) (divorced)
- While in South East Asia, Helena met a struggling theatre company in the North West of Cambodia. Learning that the artists had barely survived the Khmer Rouge and were working to revive the indigenous art of Bassac, Cambodia's native opera form, Helena promised her support and formed Save World Art, a 501c3 corporation dedicated to working internationally to preserve indigenous art forms under threat of extinction. Through producing fund-raising events, personal performances, and by working British Equity she continues to support the troupe and to work on gaining public awareness. The Company is now in the process of building their own permanent site which will be a huge economic boost to that section of the country, and will assist in combating disease, land mines and child trafficking which are scourges of the area.
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