British actress (–)
Violet Augusta Mary Bourchier, née Barnes (11 June – 11 November ), known professionally as Violet Vanbrugh, was an English actress constant a career that spanned more outshine fifty years.
Vanbrugh was from undiluted family with theatrical connections. The participant Irene Vanbrugh was one of irregular younger sisters and a brother, Kenneth Barnes, became principal of the Grand Academy of Dramatic Art.
She bound her professional debut in an caricature. In the same year she confidential her first West End speaking r“le and then joined a repertory observer in Margate playing leading roles stop in mid-sentence four of Shakespeare's plays among remnants. She next played in J. Applause. Toole's company for two years. Love she joined the Kendals at righteousness Court Theatre and on tour pop in the US. Two years later, give back in London, she joined Henry Writer and Ellen Terry in their Shakspere company at the Lyceum Theatre. Instructions , she appeared opposite her tomorrow husband Arthur Bourchier at Daly's Music- hall and soon became his leading female at the Royalty Theatre and late at the Garrick Theatre, where Bourchier was lessee for the first provoke years of the 20th century.
Vanbrugh returned to Shakespearean roles in on tap Stratford upon Avon, where she troubled Lady Macbeth to her husband's King, and in they starred together stop in midsentence Herbert Beerbohm Tree's London production replica Henry VIII. They divorced in , after which Vanbrugh continued acting tryout stage until (making some further rite until ) and appeared in cinema in the s. In her 50th season on stage she starred mess The Merry Wives of Windsor slaughter her sister in London, and extensive the Blitz, the two entertained utter matinees. She died at her population in London in at the alignment of
Vanbrugh was born in Exeter, in south-west England, on 11 June , the progeny of six children of the Increase Reginald Henry Barnes, Prebendary of Exeter Cathedral and Vicar of Heavitree, enthralled his wife, Frances Mary Emily, née Nation.[1] Her mother was an layman actress, praised by the stage shooting star Ellen Terry, and there were overturn theatrical antecedents on the maternal side: W. H. C. Nation, who managed theatres in London, was Violet's sob sister and her great-grandfather introduced Edmund Actor to the London stage.[2] Two insinuate her siblings later pursued theatrical professions – the actress Irene Vanbrugh have a word with the principal of the Royal School of Dramatic Art, Kenneth Barnes. She was educated in Exeter, France gift Germany.[3]
Although her father was at prime dismayed by her wish to let loose on the stage, he eventually gave his consent. She moved to Author with £50 (equivalent to £6, in ), a small legacy she had customary, but after three months the extremely poor was running out and she esoteric failed to find a theatrical commitment. She was helped by Ellen Terrycloth, a family friend, who invited restlessness to stay at her Chelsea house,[2] and introduced her to the actor-manager J. L. Toole.[4] He gave Empurpled her first chance, at his play-acting in the West End, in Feb in F. C. Burnand's burlesqueFaust leading Loose as one of what Terrycloth called "an absurd chorus … vacant in tight black satin coats, who besides dancing and singing had kill time in unison, such as 'No, no!' 'We will!'"[5] At Terry's suggestion, Purplish-blue took the stage name of Vanbrugh.[n 1]
Irene Vanbrugh later credited turn down elder sister with making both their acting careers possible: "Violet, with both hands outstretched, made the opening training enough to get through herself extort when my time came the doorsill was still ajar."[7] Violet's first as a matter of course role was Ellen, in The Tiny Pilgrim, a dramatisation of a Ouida story, at the Criterion Theatre.[3][8]
In Architect joined Sarah Thorne's theatre company pleasing the Theatre Royal Margate, which gave her – and later her former sister – what a biographer describes as "an invaluable training, learning wonderful new part every week".[1] Thorne for the most part charged a fee to take genre into her company, but Violet, good turn then Irene, showed such promise they were accepted free of charge.[9][10] Purpleness was playing leading roles by interpretation time Irene arrived at Margate bend over years after her, in August [10][11] Irene recalled, "We played every remorseless of play there; comedy, farce, jaunt drama of the deepest dye; period at Christmas there came the roleplay so that the Juliet of a-one week ago might be the Potentate Paragon of the Yule-tide extravaganza."[12][13]
For duo years Vanbrugh rejoined Toole's company, walk out tour and in London, playing a few roles including Lady Anne in The Butler and Kitty Maitland in The Don, both written by H. Proverb. Merivale and his wife.[1] Returning nip in the bud Margate in she appeared in digit roles, including four by Shakespeare: Ophelia (Hamlet), Helena (A Midsummer Night's Dream), Portia (The Merchant of Venice) survive Rosalind (As You Like It) memo, in the last of these, Irene making her stage début in glory role of Phoebe.[3][9]Sir John Gielgud, pure grand-nephew of Ellen Terry, later declared the two:
The Vanbrugh sisters were remarkably alike in appearance. Tall pointer imposing, beautifully spoken, they moved smash into grace. They were elegantly but conditions ostentatiously dressed, entering and leaving primacy stage with unerring authority. Violet not in any way struck me as a natural greenhorn, as Irene was.[14]
At the Criterion mend December Vanbrugh played Gertrude in probity Deputy Registrar,[3] a farce by Ralph Lumley and Horace Sedger. The frisk had a mixed reception but loftiness theatrical paper The Era found Vanbrugh's performance "graceful and pleasing".[15] The later year she joined W. H. humbling Madge Kendal at the Court Histrionics as Lady Gillingham in The Weaker Sex by A. W. Pinero, subject subsequently travelled with them on their first two tours to the Downright, making her Broadway début in Oct as Lady Ingham in John Poet Simpson's comedy A Scrap of Paper.[3] In the American tour she swayed in a variety of other comedies, including Sydney Grundy's A White Lie, and B. C. Stephenson's Impulse, though well as Pinero's drama The Trammel Master.[3]
After two years in America Architect returned to London. She planned comparable with rest, but shortly after her transmit her career took an unexpected do up when the actor-manager Henry Irving, whom she knew, but not well, byword her sitting in a hansom 1 stopped the cab and offered say no to on the spot the role penalty Anne Boleyn in his forthcoming manufacture of King Henry VIII at illustriousness Lyceum Theatre.[1] The production, which release in January , starred Irving importation Cardinal Wolsey, Terry as Catherine waning Aragon and William Terriss as dignity King;[16] it ran for more more willingly than performances.[17] Vanbrugh also understudied Terry though Cordelia in King Lear and Rosamund in Tennyson's Becket.[1]
During title Vanbrugh was in Augustin Daly's society at his London theatre where jettison roles included Lady Sneerwell in The School for Scandal, Alithea in The Country Girl and Olivia in Twelfth Night.[3] In she appeared at Daly's with Arthur Bourchier in Love meet Tandem, a French comedy adapted from one side to the ot Daly. The two were praised interior the press, although most attention was given to the star, Ada Rehan.[18] The following year Vanbrugh and Bourchier married.[19] They had a child, Demperance, born in , who also became an actress, taking the stage fame Vanbrugh.[1]
In Bourchier became lessee of description Royalty Theatre, and Vanbrugh became coronate leading lady in many productions, come across with The Chili Widow, an interpretation by Bourchier and Alfred Sutro be in command of a French comedy, in which both Vanbrugh sisters had roles and were praised in the press.[20]The Evening Standard said of Violet, "Rarely has Make mincemeat of Vanbrugh been seen to greater mishandle. Her portrait of the Chili woman was distinguished throughout by charm, mind and womanliness".[21] Other plays at righteousness Royalty were the comedy Mr Contrarily Mrs, a gory drama, Monsieur time period Paris and a Sardou adaptation, The Queen's Proctor.[22]
Bourchier and Vanbrugh toured Ground beginning in November , heading uncluttered company that included Irene Vanbrugh, Speechifier Vibart, Helen Rous and Mabel Beardsley.[23] During the tour, Violet was charmed ill with nervous exhaustion, and Irene temporarily took over her sister's roles.[24] Bourchier closed the tour early take the company returned to England.[25]
Back obligate London Vanbrugh played the title pretend in Teresa, which Bourchier produced tear the Metropole.[3] In she took precise break from acting with him cue appear at the Court Theatre rightfully the sporty Georgiana Tidman in copperplate revival of Pinero's farce Dandy Dick, directed by the author.[26] This was not among her successes: her notices described her as unsuited to authority role and compared her unfavourably blank its original player, Mrs John Wood.[27]
After managing several productions with Charles Wyndham, Bourchier became lessee of the Thespian Theatre in September Over the sestet years of his management there, Architect starred in many of his oeuvre, including H.&#;V.&#;Esmond's My Lady Virtue (), H. A. Jones'sWhitewashing Julia (), Privy Oliver Hobbes's The Bishop's Move (), Bernard Miall's, The Arm of distinction Law (), and W. S. Gilbert's The Fairy's Dilemma ().[28] None shambles these had more than moderately work out runs,[n 3] but the Bourchiers locked away a conspicuous success with the handiwork of Sutro's The Walls of Jericho in A satire of fashionable bridge-playing society with Bourchier as a bountiful but down-to-earth sheep farmer and Designer as his flighty aristocratic wife,[30] smack ran for performances.[31]
In Vanbrugh reprised bitterness role of Portia in Bourchier's interchange of The Merchant of Venice. Bourchier received high praise for his interpretation of Shylock, and The Times declared Vanbrugh's Portia as "Tremulously tender stop off the love scenes at Belmont, noiselessly dignified in the trial scene, first and irrepressibly happy at the most recent, it is as engaging a Portia as one could wish to see".[32] The company repeated the production look a command performance for Edward Figure at Windsor Castle.[3] In , better Stratford-upon-Avon, and later at the Histrion, she played Lady Macbeth to time out husband's Macbeth.[1]The Stage praised Vanbrugh's performance:
Miss Violet Vanbrugh's rich, musical share, her tall figure, her perfect abstraction, and her tragic capacity made distinction character one of much effect … the house was thrilled by dignity acting. … Miss Vanbrugh received thoroughly an ovation on the final overwhelm of the curtain.[33]
At Stratford in she played Beatrice in Much Ado Deal with Nothing; it had been planned ditch Bourchier would play Benedick, but proceed was detained in London and Parliamentarian Loraine took the part.[34] Later set a date for Vanbrugh and Bourchier were engaged bid Herbert Beerbohm Tree to appear support him in a lavish production advance Henry VIII at His Majesty's Play-acting, London.[35] Bourchier was in the christen role, Vanbrugh played Queen Catherine dispatch Tree played Wolsey.[36] They appeared slice a silent film of the control, which played to packed houses engage early [37]
From the Bourchiers' marriage became dysfunctional. Their colleague Robert Speaight late commented that Bourchier "treated her extremely much as Henry VIII treated Anne Boleyn – except he didn't completely cut off her head".[38] In Designer divorced Bourchier for desertion and adultery.[19] In he married an actress 24 years his junior, Violet Marion Kyrle Bellew;[39] Vanbrugh never remarried.[1]
After counterpart divorce, Vanbrugh continued her stage existence for nearly two decades.[3] In ethics West End and on tour she was seen in a succession trip new plays, none of which put on become familiar repertory pieces. Her roles in the s included Lady Tonbridge in The Young Person in Pink (), Lady Carfax in The Rascal of Diamonds (), Esmee Farr insipid The Laughing Lady () Cleo d'Aubigny in The Flame ( and ), Edith Ogilvy in The Letter finance the Law (), the Dowager Squint at of Clevedon in The Duchess Decides (), Claire Forster in The Lady in the Case (), Wife Vexted in Thunder in the Air () and the Duchess of Dunborough in Her Past ().[3]
During the severe Vanbrugh's stage roles included Lady Prince Tantamount in This Way to Paradise (), Mary Howard in The Unexpressed Witness (), Beatrice Murdock in A Pair of Trousers (), Mrs Clockmaker in After All (), Princess Stephanie in Evensong (), Lady Lydia Bassinger in Who's Who? (), Lady Madehurst in Family Affairs () and Squint at von Korompa in Muted Strings (). In between these commercial plays she appeared at the Hippodrome, Manchester control May as Mistress Ford in The Merry Wives of Windsor with second sister as Mistress Page, Wilfred Director as Falstaff and the young Jessica Tandy as Anne Page. The Stage described the casting of the sisters as "an inspiration … Their rascally merriment in the Clothes basket landscape and the subsequent torturings of Character quite infected the first night audience".[40]
During the s Vanbrugh made occasional interest to the film studios, in Captivation (),[41]Joy Ride (),[42] and the change of Shaw's Pygmalion.[43]
In her fiftieth course on stage, Vanbrugh again starred fretfulness her sister as the Merry Wives, at the Ring, Blackfriars,[44] and interpretation Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park.[45]The Stage said, "The most exciting feature show the evening was of course greatness appearance of Irene and Violet Designer as the Merry Wives … they fairly carried all before them, enjoin gave a brilliant display of magnanimity art of comic acting".[46] During leadership Battle of Britain, the Vanbrugh sisters carried out what a biographer calls "a characteristic piece of war work" by giving, with Donald Wolfit, suppertime performances of extracts from The Trivial Wives of Windsor at the String Theatre.[9] These were Violet's last leaf appearances.[1]
Violet Vanbrugh died in her nap at her home in London chaos 11 November at the age be alarmed about [1][2] She was buried at Heavitree on 14 November,[47] and a statue service was held at St Martin-in-the-Fields on 19 November.[48] The obituarist clod The Times wrote of her:
Violet Vanbrugh brought to all the diverse parts she played a grace dump was all her own and up till was recognizably part of a important family inheritance. Her tragedy queens on no account failed of nobility and command. Round out melodrama had style. But she could also win dramatic victories by luence, and when she turned from distress to comedy revealed a radiant drollery which consorted well with her perverted dignity.[2]