Bijou Heron

Who was Bijou Heron?

Bijou Heron, born Helen Wallace Stoepel was an American stage actress, who became famous as a child actor in the 1870s.

Heron was born in New York City, New York to the composer and orchestra conductor Robert Stoepel and the actress Matilda Heron. She was introduced to audiences at the age of six in a production of Medea at the Bowery Theater where her mother played the title role.

In 1873, she joined the Augustin Daly company at the Fifth Avenue Theatre. Her first leading role was in Monsieur Alphonse, a dramatic adaptation of a novel by Alexandre Dumas. The following season she received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Oliver in Oliver Twist. The cast included actors Fanny Davenport, Charles Fisher, and James Lewis. In 1876, she joined the A. M. Palmer Company at the Union Square Theatre. She played in Miss Multon with Clara Morris and portrayed Smike an adaptation of Nicholas Nickleby. She toured with this company, playing for three months in San Francisco. Upon returning to New York, she was asked to take the place of actress Sara Jewett in A Celebrated Case starring Charles Coghlan. She later appeared in The School for Scandal with Coghlan, John Parcelle, Harry Crisp and Ann Gilbert.