Albert Edward Anson

(1879-1936) Albert Edward Anson first appeared on the stage in 1895; after earning a degree in engineering, he returned to the the stage and in 1904 joined Herbert Beerbohm Tree‘s company. After that he played many roles in Shakespeare’s plays, both in London and in New York. His first major part was Brabantio in Othello in 1905; he played in New York in 1909-11, taking the parts of Octavius Caesar in Antony & Cleopatra, Master Ford in The Merry Wives ofRead more

Viola Allen

(1869-1948) Viola Allen was born in Huntsville, Alabama. She first appeared in New York with John McCullough in Othello and Richard III. Her part as Gloria Quayle in Hall Caine’s The Christian, an adaptation for stage of his own novel, was so successful that from then on she was given “star” billing. Over the years she took parts in various Shakespeare plays: Twelfth Night, The Winter’s Tale, Cymbeline, and As You Like It. She played no more Shakespeare until 1915-16 when she went on tour as LadyRead more

Clifton Alderson

(1864-1930) Clifton Alderson’s first stage appearance was in 1882 in Manchester. His debut was impressive enough to earn him an invitation the next year in 1883 to the Stratford Memorial Theatre where he play in Henry IV, Part 1 and Macbeth. After a long hiatus when he toured several times in Australia and played in popular plays in London, he returned to Shakespeare. At the Queen’s Theatre, Manchester, he played Iago in 1907 and Jaques in As You Like It inRead more

Evelyn Millard

(1869-1941) Evelyn Millard, a popular stage “beauty,” made her first appearance in 1891 as a walk-on at the Haymarket Theatre. Her first major parts came when she joined Sarah Thorne at the Theatre Royal in Margate; she played, among other roles, Juliet and then Hero in Much Ado About Nothing. When she joined the company of Sir Beerbohm Tree in 1897 she was given the role of Portia in Julius Caesar. Between 1903 and 1916, she played in several moreRead more

E. H. Sothern

(1859-1933) Edward Hugh Sothern was born in New Orleans. His first American stage appearance was at the Park Theatre, New York, in 1879. His first London appearance was at the Royalty Theatre in 1881, two years before returning to the United States. In 1900, he appeared in Hamlet, his first Shakespeare performance at the Garden Theatre in New York City. In 1904, Sothern first played with Julia Marlowe in Romeo & Juliet at the Illinois Theatre in Chicago. That same year,Read more

Nora Lancaster

(1882- ?) Nora Lancaster, born in London, first performed with Sir George Alexander’s company in 1901. She next acted briefly with Sir Henry Irving‘s troupe and toured America, Canada, and the English provincial cities. In 1906 she played Imogen in Cymbeline in Manchester’s series of Shakespeare revivals; she also played leading parts with Sir Frank Benson at his annual summer Shakespeare festivals in Stratford-on-Avon. She rejoined Benson’s company in 1909 playing, among other parts, Juliet, Portia and Rosalind. In 1910Read more

Dorothy Green

(1886-1961) Dorothy Green was only fifteen when she made her first professional appearance in 1901 in Henry V, and from that point on she was never far between parts in Shakespeare’s plays. This is partly due to the fact that she had joined Herbert Beerbohm Tree‘s company when she was quite young, and then later played with Frank Benson and became one of the loyal “Bensonians.” Two notable parts during this period were as Beatrice in 1913 and as HermiaRead more

Claire Greet

Not much is known about actress Clare Greet (name spelled with an “e” rather than an “i”), who was born in Leicestershire, England, in either 1870 or 1871, and is best known for her many films in the 1920s and 1930s, including seven by Alfred Hitchcock. Not much valid information can be found about Greet, including whether or not she was related to Sir Ben Greet.Read more

Basil Gill

(1877-1955) Basil Gill’s first stage appearance was in Wilson Barrett’s The Sign of the Cross. After touring in Australia and the United States, he had his chance to play Shakespeare when he joined Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree‘s company in 1903. He stayed with Tree until 1907, and during those years he played in Richard II, Fenton in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Ferdinand in The Tempest, Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing, Horatio in Hamlet, Brutus in Julius Caesar, Orsino inRead more