Margaret Mather’s Grave

She was born with nothing and became Juliet. Margaret Mather rose from hard Michigan poverty to national stardom as one of the most acclaimed Shakespearean actresses of the 1880s, her Broadway debut in Romeo and Juliet making her a sensation. She died the way stage legends are supposed to — collapsing during a performance, in 1898, at just 39.

She rests at Elmwood, a Detroit-raised talent who conquered the American stage. On our list.