Who was Felicia Montealegre Bernstein? Details explored ahead of Bradley Cooper's Maestro 

Maestro, a new biographical drama movie, starring Carey Mulligan and Bradley Cooper will premiere on December 20, 2023, on Netflix, after its limited theatrical release on November 22, 2023. The biopic is based on the striking relationship between American composer, Leonard Bernstein and his wife, actress Felicia Montealegre Bernstein. In Maestro, Mulligan will play the lead role of Felicia Montealegre.

As stated in the official description for Maestro, given by Netflix:

"Maestro is a towering and fearless love story chronicling the lifelong relationship between cultural icon Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein. A love letter to life and art, Maestro, at its core, is an emotionally epic portrayal of family and love."

Since the official trailer for Maestro was released on the streaming platform, the audience has been quite eager to learn all about the renowned actress of the Golden Age of Television and Leonard Bernstein's wife Felicia Montealegre Bernstein. So, without further ado, let's jump right in and find out all about the actress and her filmography.

---

From her birthplace to her body of work, learn all about Felicia Montealegre Bernstein before Maestro debuts

A still of Felicia Montealegre Bernstein and Leonard Bernstein (Image Via The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts)

Felicia Montealegre Bernstein was a critically acclaimed and highly influential Costa Rican-American actor and social activist. She was born on February 6, 1922, in San José, Costa Rica, to Roy Elwood Cohn and Clemencia Cristina Montealegre Carazo. The actress is best known for her outstanding portrayal of several roles in an array of televised dramas, at the very inception of the Golden Age of Television.

Felicia Montealegre Bernstein was also well-known and highly praised for her performances in theatrical roles both on and off Broadway. Raised as a Catholic, the actress went on to complete her education in Chile. However, later on, she took on Judaism at the time of her marriage. Before entering the world of acting, Felicia Montealegre moved to New York in 1944 and took piano lessons from Claudio Arrau, a fellow Chilean.

Over her impressive and long career, she had been a part of several notable TV shows, entailing Kraft Television Theatre, Suspense, Studio One, The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre, Lights Out, The Philco Television Playhouse, The Kaiser Aluminum Hour, You Are There, The Match Game, Person to Person, The Merv Griffin Show, Camera Three, Play of the Week, Lux Video Theatre and more.

Among her television works, she is best known for playing the significant role of Empress Carlotta Amelia in Goodyear Theatre, Ismene in The Kaiser Aluminum Hour, Christine Vole in The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre, Leda in Lights Out and various roles in Studio One.

---

A still of Felicia Montealegre Bernstein and one of her co-actors Louis Jourdan (Image Via Wikimedia Commons)

Felicia Montealegre met her husband and famous conductor-composer Leonard Bernstein for the first time at a party hosted by Claudio Arrau in 1946. In the new movie Maestro, actor Bradley Cooper will be seen portraying the role of Felicia's husband Leonard Bernstein.

Before marrying Bernstein, she was in a long romantic relationship with Hollywood actor Richard Hart. However, she fell in love with Bernstein and went on to marry him on September 9, 1951. The couple had three children together, including Nina, Jamie, and Alexander. Despite several turmoils in their marriage, the two remained married till the very end of the actress' life.

Felicia Montealegre Bernstein passed away from lung cancer in East Hampton, New York, on June 16, 1978, at the age of 56. She spent her last days with her husband Leonard. She left an impressive legacy behind with her works in television and theater.

---

Catch Maestro, which will arrive on Netflix, on December 20, 2023.