Edith Taliaferro
Edith Taliaferro | |
---|---|
Born | Richmond, Virginia, U.S. | December 21, 1894
Died | March 2, 1958 Newtown, Connecticut, U.S. | (aged 63)
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1896–1935 |
Spouses |
House B. Jameson (m. 1928) |
Relatives | Mabel Taliaferro (sister) Bessie Barriscale (cousin) |
Edith Taliaferro (December 21, 1894 – March 2, 1958) was an American stage and film actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was active on the stage until 1935 and had roles in three silent films. She is best known for portraying the role of Rebecca in the 1910 stage production of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.
Early life and family
Taliaferro was born in Richmond, Virginia, the daughter of theatre workers.[1] She was the younger sister of Mabel Taliaferro who also became a stage actress, and the cousin of actress Bessie Barriscale.[2][3] Her ancestors were originally from England, of remote Italian descent (from the 1500s). They were one of the families who settled in Virginia in the 17th century.[4]
Career
Early years
Taliaferro made her acting debut at the age of two in the stock stage production of Shore Acres, with James A. Herne.[1] However, two newspapers reported her as being 4-years-old in early 1896.[5][6] It was rumored that she obtained the part because her sister Mabel was too old to depict the character.[7] Her Broadway debut came in 1900 with the play The Sunken Bell'.[8]
Newspapers reported during June 1904 that Taliaferro was signed to a personal contract and paid $100 per week by George C. Tyler of Liebler & Company.[9] She signed a contract for the following season to appear with Ezra Kendall. She was the youngest Shakesperean actress on the stage. She portrayed Puck in a Ben Greet production of A Midsummer Night's Dream before an audience at Princeton University in May 1904.[4] She was lauded by professors there, and they sent her a Princeton University flag and pin. By then, she had performed in six to eight juvenile roles after her professional debut. When she returned to New York, Taliaferro appeared with Clara Bloodgood in The Girl with the Green Eyes.[10]
In 1907, Frederic Thompson produced Polly of the Circus, written by Margaret Mayo, for his new wife Mabel Taliaferro, and at times during its run, Edith took on the lead role of the youthful circus rider in her sister's place.[11]
She is most noted for her 1910 performance in Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.[12] It was staged at the Republic Theater (New Victory Theater), 209 West 42nd Street. Her other successful theatrical performances include roles in Young Wisdom (1914), Tipping The Winner (1914), and Mother Carey's Chickens (1917).[8]
Films, later career and retirement
Taliaferro made her silent film debut in
Personal life
Taliaferro's first husband was actor Earl Browne. The marriage was announced in July 1913.
Death
On March 2, 1958, Edith Taliaferro died at age 63 from undisclosed causes at her home in Newtown, Connecticut.[19]
Stage credits
Date | Production | Role |
---|---|---|
1896 | Shore Acres | Millie Berry |
March 26 – April 1900 | The Sunken Bell | |
September 23 – November 1901 | The Bonnie Brier Bush | |
December 25, 1902 – Closing date unknown | The Girl with the Green Eyes | Susie |
1904 | Uncle Tom's Cabin | Little Eva |
September 17 – October 1906 | Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch | Australia Wiggs |
September 30 – October 1907 | The Evangelist | Ione Nuneham |
October 3, 1910 – April 1911 | Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm | Rebecca |
January 5 – March 1914 | Young Wisdom | Gail Claffenden |
September 23 – October 1914 | Tipping the Winner | Dorothy Gay |
1915 | A Breath of Old Virginia | Mary Davis |
November 13, 1916 – March 1917 | Captain Kidd, Jr. | Mary MacTavish |
September 25 – October 1917 | Mother Carey's Chickens | Nancy Carey |
June 1918 | The Best Sellers | |
June 10–29, 1918 | Muggins | |
February 10, 1919 – Closing date unknown | Please Get Married | Muriel Ashley |
October 11 – December 4, 1920 | Kissing Time | Clarice |
July 18–28, 1924 | Fashions of 1924 | Neil Barton |
November 17 - December 1923 | A Love Scandal | Bettina Tilton |
1931 | Private Lives | Amanda Prynne |
May 7 - May 1935 | The Hook-up | Mary Bainbridge |
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1915 | Young Romance | Nellie Nolan | |
1916 | The Conquest of Canaan | Ariel Tabor | |
1919 | Who's Your Brother? | Esther Field | Alternative title: Keep [It] to the Right.[20] |
References
- "Theater Talk". Mansfield News. April 16, 1909. p. 7.
- "Theatres". The New York Times. October 10, 1897. p. 5.
- "Ten Years Old; $100 A Week". The New York Times. May 24, 1904. p. 9.
- "Edith Taliaferro Of Stage, Was 64". The New York Times. March 3, 1958. p. 27.
- "Wieting-Polly of the Circus". Syracuse Herald-Journal. November 15, 1908. p. 30.
Footnotes
- ^ ISBN 978-0-810-86884-7.
- ISBN 0-810-84761-2.
- ISBN 978-1-317-71896-3.
- ^ a b "Women in History Month". ItalianTribune.com. March 12, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Star Dust". Star Tribune. March 27, 1927. p. 46. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
- ^ a b "Edith Taliaferro". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Girl with the Green Eyes Broadway Original Cast". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
- ^ Munsey's Magazine - Volume 39 - 1908, Page 846
- ^ Munsey's Magazine - Volume 4 - 1913, Page 560
- ^ "Young Romance (1915)". CenturyFilmProject.org. Century Film Project. June 20, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
- ^ Gaines, William (July 20, 1931). "Sidelights In New York". Gettysburg Times. p. 6.
- ^ ""Rebecca" Dies". The Spokesman-Review. March 2, 1958. p. 15.
- ^ "19 Jul 1913, Page 3 - The Rock Island Argus and Daily Union at Newspapers.com". Retrieved August 6, 2016.
- ^ Wolters, Larry (March 14, 1953). "Father Aldrich In Harem Class; Has 4 TV Wives".
- ^ Oliver, Wayne (January 25, 1953). "The Lone Ranger Gallops Into Third Decade This Week". The News and Courier. p. 10–D.
- ^ a b "Edith Taliaferro". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. March 3, 1958. p. 3.
- ^ See photograph at http://www.shorpy.com/node/13082 which omits "It"
External links
- Edith Taliaferro at the Internet Broadway Database
- Edith Taliaferro at IMDb