Beautiful portraits of actress Ellen Terry born On This Day in 1847.
image credit: George Frederic Watts [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Dame Alice Ellen Terry,
known professionally as Ellen Terry,
was an English actress who became the leading Shakespearean actress in Britain. She was born on 27th February 1847.
image credit: Getty Center [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsFrom Wikipedia: Born into a family of actors, Terry began performing as a child, acting in Shakespeare plays in London, and toured throughout the British provinces in her teens. At 16 she married the 46-year-old artist George Frederic Watts, but they separated within a year. She soon returned to the stage but began a relationship with the architect Edward William Godwin and retired from the stage for six years. She resumed acting in 1874 and was immediately acclaimed for her portrayal of roles in Shakespeare and other classics.
image credit: John Singer Sargent [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsIn 1878 she joined Henry Irving’s company as his leading lady, and for more than the next two decades she was considered the leading Shakespearean and comic actress in Britain. Two of her most famous roles were Portia in The Merchant of Venice and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing. She and Irving also toured with great success in America and Britain.
image credit: George W. Baldry [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons image credit: See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsIn 1903 Terry took over management of London’s Imperial Theatre, focusing on the plays of George Bernard Shaw and Henrik Ibsen. The venture was a financial failure, and Terry turned to touring and lecturing. She continued to find success on stage until 1920, while also appearing in films from 1916 to 1922. Her career lasted nearly seven decades.
image credit:By Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK (Ellen Terry Costumes Uploaded by tm) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia CommonsThanks for visiting my blog today.
Lovely post, Cathy. Thank you!
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