Dorothea Baird married H. B. Irving, the son of Sir Henry, in 1896, so her career was quite naturally entwined with that of her husband. They seldom appeared separately on stage. In 1894 Baird joined Ben Greet's company where she played many Shakespeare roles, among them Hippolyta and Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hermione in The Winter's Tale, and Rosalind in As You Like It. Her first appearance on the London stage was as Hippolyta.

Her husband revived many of his father's plays and most famous parts, so Baird had an opportunity to play in The Bells, The Lyons Mail, and numerous Shakespeare plays. Between 1895 and 1913 she played the major female roles in As You Like It, The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Hamlet. Both Baird and H. B. Irving had long successful careers and Shakespeare was no small part of their repertory.

One of her best parts, and certainly the one that caused the most stir among the London audiences, was in a play where she did not act with Irving, who would not be her husband until the next year. Beerbohm Tree chose Baird to play Trilby opposite his Svengali in his 1895 production of Trilby at the Haymarket Theatre.

In 1913 Baird retired from the stage and spent most of her time in charitable causes, primarily those that benefited infant welfare.

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As Rosalind in As You Like It