Eleonora Duse (3 October 1858 – 21 April 1924) was an Italian actress, also known simply as Duse.

She is considered one of the greatest actresses of all time, famous for her total assumption of the roles she portrayed. 

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Duse was famously cryptic regarding her acting style. She claimed not to have a technique of any sort, and scorned at efforts to put her art into a science. What is known is that she had a highly heterodox, almost religious philosophy of acting, seeking to "eliminate the self" and become the characters she portrayed. It is a common misconception that her acting was purely intuitive and spontaneous, in reality she labored over her craft.