QCOSTARICA (Daily Mail) American actor and filmmaker. Bradley Cooper caused plenty of controversy around his new Netflix biopic Maestro, of which he stars in and directed.
The actor, 47, completely transformed himself through the use of prosthetics and movie makeup into composer Leonard Bernstein – to tell his life.
Maestro tells the story of the behind the scenes Broadway legend Leonard and his relationship with Felicia Montealegre, a Costa Rican born in San Jose, who stayed with him his whole life despite knowing he was gay.
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The film examines the complex relationship between Leonard and Felicia, who’s romance spanned more than 30 years – from their first meeting in 1946, continuing through two on-off engagements, a 25-year marriage and three children as Bernstein grappled with his own sexuality.
But who is Leonard’s wife Felicia Montealegre?
The controversy
Bradley was slammed for wearing a prosthetic nose in the new biopic as critics claimed it was anti-Semitic.
However, Leonard Bernstein’s family defended Bradley’s choice to wear the prosthetic nose.
‘It happens to be true that he had a nice big nose,’ the statement from Bernstein’s children said, pouring cold water over the controversy which erupted following the release of Maestro trailer.
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Jamie, Alexander and Nina Bernstein – the couple’s children – praised Cooper – who also directs the movie – for including them ‘along every step of his amazing journey as he made’ the film about their father.
Who is Felicia Montealegre?
Actress Felicia Montealegre was welcomed into the world in San Jose, Costa Rica, on March 3, 1922. She was the daughter of a Costa Rican mother Clemencia Cristina Montealegre Carazo,[ and American father Roy Elwood Cohn, a United States mining executive then stationed in Costa Rica.
The Costa Rican appeared in various stage plays and dramas on screen, including a 1945 CBS teleplay based on Somerset Maugham’s novel Of Human Bondage, in which she starred as Mildred.
The Costa Rican solidified a stellar television career, appearing in ten shows alone in 1949.
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Of this ten, she famously appeared as Mildred Rodgers in an adaptation of Somerset Maugham’s Of Human Bondage, according to the Leonard Bernstein Office.
She also appeared in major roles on Broadway and in summer festival playhouses, including, Jessica in The Merchant of Venice, The Death of Rasputin, Emma Woodhouse in Emma and many more.
The same year she bagged the title of Most Promising Female Star from Motion Picture Daily’s Television Fame Poll.
She continued to be an acting powerhouse for decades to come, appearing in a rendition of A Doll’s House, as well as Poor Murderer on Broadway in 1976.
Felicia tied the knot with the world-renowned composer, Leonard Bernstein in 1951.
How many children do they have?
Leonard Bernstein’s and Felicia Montealegre share three children together their daughter Jamie, who was born on September 2, 1951, their only son Alexander, who entered the world on July 7, 1955 and their youngest child Nina Maria who was born on February 28. 1962.
Leonard Bernstein’s children Jamie, Alexander and Nina were in complete awe the first time they saw Bradley Cooper as the renowned conductor and composer.
In an interview with Variety, the three revealed how Bradley Cooper ‘ took their breath away’ when they first saw him as their composer father.
Eldest Bernstein child, Jamie said: ‘In some pictures, we could tell a little bit that it was Bradley, but there were certain photographs where we would go, “Oh my God!” It was so amazingly perfect.’
Her younger sibling Nina continued: ‘I had a FaceTime call come in, and I didn’t recognise the number. But I chanced it, and it was my father as an old man!’
‘Obviously, that was not my father as an old man, it was Bradley. I could not stop laughing. He had the cigarette and the glasses, it was so spot on.’
Their relationship
Leonard and Felicia first met at a New York party in 1946, when the actress was introduced to Bernstein via her former piano teacher, Claudio Arrau.
The pair were quickly engaged after meeting, however they broke it off by December 1947.
Felicia began entangled in a romance with fellow actor, Richard Hart, between 1948 and 1951 – he passed away in her arms on January 2, 1951.
The Costa Rican had kept in contact with the Bernstein family during her relationship with Hart, and following his death she reconnected with Leonard – and tied the knot four weeks after.
Felicia converted from Catholicism to Judaism in a friendly gesture to Bernstein’s parents.
However, the two were not devout to either religion and often took on various elements of both Christianity and Judaism in their every day lives.
In 1971, their marriage began to fall apart after Leonard began an affair with Tom Cothran – the music director of a San Francisco classical radio station.
The pair were entwined in a love affair for years, according to Leonard Bernstein: An American Musician by Allen Shawn.
But everything reached a head when Leonard packed up his bags to be with Tom, ending his marriage with the Costa Rican actress in 1976.
Felicia was diagnosed with lung cancer soon after their separation, with Leonard coming back to tend to her until her death at the young age 56.
The composer’s heart was completely shattered, according to Women’s Health, and never healed from the death of his wife.
His relationship with Tom came to an end, however the pair stayed friends until the music director passed away from AIDS in 1987.On October 14, 1990 Leonard Bernstein died from a heart attack at the age of 72.
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