1.
Leon Errol
–
Leon Errol, was an Australian-born American comedian and actor, popular in the first half of the 20th century for his appearances in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in films. According to his petition for naturalization, he first came to the United States in 1898, by 1905, in Portland, Oregon he managed a touring vaudeville company troupe, giving an early boost to the career of a young comedian named Roscoe Arbuckle. In 1908, he made the United States his home, by 1911 Errol had graduated to the New York big time in the 1911 Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway, notably in two skits with the legendary Bert Williams. Errols sister, Leda Errol was a friend of Ziegfeld Follies star Fanny Brice. He appeared every year in the Follies through 1915, when he is credited as director of the show that included W. C. Fields, Ed Wynn, as well as Marion Davies as one of the Ziegfeld Girls, Errol made his first film, a comic short subject called Nearly Spliced, in 1916, for pioneering east-coast producer George Kleine. By 1930 hed left Broadway and turned his attention to movies. The box-office for that film was disappointing, but overall Errol made a transition to films in a variety of comedy roles. His comic trademark was a wobbly, unsteady walk, moving as though on rubber legs, Errol starred in a long string of two-reel comedy shorts, which began at Columbia Pictures in 1933. Moving to RKO Radio Pictures in 1934, he continued to make six shorts per year until his death in 1951, monogram signed Errol to appear as fight manager Knobby Walsh in the eight entries of their Joe Palooka sports comedies. Leon Errols most famous appearance is in the nonsensical comedy feature Never Give a Sucker an Even Break, starring fellow vaudeville. On February 4,1950, Errol appeared on television as a guest on The Ed Wynn Show, Errols next-to-last film, Lord Epping Returns in 1951, reprised his famous characterization from Mexican Spitfire. Footage from Errols short subjects was incorporated into RKOs compilation features Variety Time, Make Mine Laughs, Footlight Varieties, RKO kept Leon Errol in the public eye by reissuing his older comedies through the mid-1950s. His RKO shorts soon became a staple of syndicated television, Errol married Stella Chatelaine in Denver, Colorado in 1906. She died on November 7,1946 in Los Angeles, five years later Errol suffered a fatal heart attack, on October 12,1951, aged 70
2.
Charles Hawtrey (actor born 1858)
–
Sir Charles Henry Hawtrey was an English actor, director, producer and manager. He pursued a career as an actor-manager, specialising in debonair, often disreputable. He occasionally played in Sheridan and other classics, but was associated with new works by writers including Oscar Wilde. Born to a county family, Hawtrey was one of three of his parents five sons to pursue a theatrical career. Before going on the stage he had considered joining the army, a lifelong gambler, both with theatrical productions and on horseracing, to which he was addicted, he was bankrupted several times during his career. Regarded as Britains leading comedy actor of his generation, Hawtrey was mentor, towards the end of his career Hawtrey starred in a handful of silent movies. Hawtrey was born at Slough and educated at Eton College, the son and eighth of the ten children of the Rev. John William Hawtrey and his first wife, Frances Mary Anne. The Hawtrey family had an association with Eton, at the time of Hawtreys birth his father was a housemaster there. At the age of eight Hawtrey entered the school of the college. Three years later John Hawtrey left Eton to found St Michaels School, Slough, Hawtrey was educated there from 1869 to 1872, as a schoolboy he became known as a sportsman of dash and endurance. At the age of fourteen he became a follower of horse-racing. He commented that his first encounter with racing was a day for me. I had one bet and lost half-a-crown, and I have been trying for fifty years to win it back, from Rugby, Hawtrey went briefly to a crammer in London, to study for a career in the army, but soon abandoned the idea. He worked as a tutor from 1876 to 1879 and then he began his theatrical career. It started badly, he broke his collar-bone while playing football and had to withdraw from the cast before the opening night. In February 1881 he matriculated at Pembroke College, Oxford, but withdrew in October, burnands The Colonel at the Prince of Waless Theatre, London. Uncertain of success, he adopted the stage name Charles Bankes. Of course my hands always felt like two great hams and I never knew what to do them, but I found that eventually I forgot all about them
3.
Robert Walker Macbeth
–
Robert Walker Macbeth RA was a Scottish painter, etcher and watercolourist, specialising in pastoral landscape and the rustic genre. His father was the portrait painter Norman Macbeth and his niece Ann Macbeth and his younger brother Henry Macbeth, later Macbeth-Raeburn RA was also an artist. Macbeth studied in London, producing realistic everyday scenes and working for The Graphic magazine and he painted in the Lincolnshire and Somerset countryside, in works influenced by those of George Heming Mason and Frederick Walker. His The Cast Shoe was bought by the Chantrey Bequest in 1890, in 1895 he painted a mural Opening of the Royal Exchange by Her Majesty Queen Victoria, 28th October 1844 which can be seen in the Royal Exchange, London. From 1871 Macbeth exhibited at the Royal Academy, Royal Society of Portrait Painters, Grosvenor Gallery, New Gallery, in the same year Macbeth was made an associate of the Royal Watercolour Society becoming a full member in 1901. He became a member of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers in 1880, in 1882 he was elected a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours and in 1883 was elected to be a member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters. In 1883 he was elected an associate of the Royal Academy and he married Lydia Esther Bates on 9 August 1887 with whom he had a daughter, Phillis Macbeth, better known as the actress Lydia Bilbrook. However, it has suggested that she was actually the biological daughter of the actor Herbert Beerbohm Tree. He died in Golders Green, north London, caw, J. L. Scottish Painting 1620–1908. Wood, Christopher, The Dictionary of Victorian Painters, Woodbridge,1971 Johnson, the Dictionary of British Artists 1880–1940 Walkley, Giles. Portraits of RW Macbeth at the National Portrait Gallery Biography Profile on Royal Academy of Arts Collections
4.
Somerset
–
Somerset is a county in South West England which borders Gloucestershire and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east and Devon to the south-west. It is bounded to the north and west by the Severn Estuary and its traditional border with Gloucestershire is the River Avon. Somerset is a county of rolling hills such as the Blackdown Hills, Mendip Hills, Quantock Hills and Exmoor National Park. There is evidence of occupation from Paleolithic times, and of subsequent settlement in the Roman. The county played a significant part in the consolidation of power and rise of King Alfred the Great, and later in the English Civil War, the city of Bath is famous for its substantial Georgian architecture and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Somersets name derives from Old English Sumorsǣte, short for Sumortūnsǣte, an alternative suggestion is the name derives from Seo-mere-saetan meaning settlers by the sea lakes. The Old English name is used in the motto of the county, Sumorsǣte ealle, adopted as the motto in 1911, the phrase is taken from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Somerset settlement names are mostly Anglo-Saxon in origin, but some hill names include Brittonic Celtic elements, for example, an Anglo-Saxon charter of 682 refers to Creechborough Hill as the hill the British call Cructan and we call Crychbeorh. Some modern names are Brythonic in origin, such as Tarnock, the caves of the Mendip Hills were settled during the Palaeolithic period, and contain extensive archaeological sites such as those at Cheddar Gorge. Bones from Goughs Cave have been dated to 12,000 BC, examples of cave art have been found in Avelines Hole. Some caves continued to be occupied until modern times, including Wookey Hole, the Somerset Levels—specifically dry points at Glastonbury and Brent Knoll— also have a long history of settlement, and are known to have been settled by Mesolithic hunters. Travel in the area was facilitated by the construction of one of the worlds oldest known engineered roadways, the Sweet Track, the exact age of the henge monument at Stanton Drew stone circles is unknown, but it is believed to be Neolithic. There are numerous Iron Age hill forts, some of which, like Cadbury Castle, on the authority of the future emperor Vespasian, as part of the ongoing expansion of the Roman presence in Britain, the Second Legion Augusta invaded Somerset from the south-east in AD47. The county remained part of the Roman Empire until around AD409, a variety of Roman remains have been found, including Pagans Hill Roman temple in Chew Stoke, Low Ham Roman Villa and the Roman Baths that gave their name to the city of Bath. After the Romans left, Britain was invaded by Anglo-Saxon peoples, by AD600 they had established control over much of what is now England, but Somerset was still in native British hands. The Saxon royal palace in Cheddar was used several times in the 10th century to host the Witenagemot. After the Norman Conquest, the county was divided into 700 fiefs, Somerset contains HM Prison Shepton Mallet, which was Englands oldest prison still in use prior to its closure in 2013, having opened in 1610. In the English Civil War Somerset was largely Parliamentarian, with key engagements being the Sieges of Taunton, in 1685 the Monmouth Rebellion was played out in Somerset and neighbouring Dorset
5.
Herbert Beerbohm Tree
–
Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree was an English actor and theatre manager. Tree began performing in the 1870s, by 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre, winning praise for adventurous programming and lavish productions, and starring in many of its productions. In 1899, he helped fund the rebuilding, and became manager, again, he promoted a mix of Shakespeare and classic plays with new works and adaptations of popular novels, giving them spectacular productions in this large house, and often playing leading roles. His wife, actress Helen Maud Holt, often played opposite him, although Tree was regarded as a versatile and skilled actor, particularly in character roles, by his later years, his technique was seen as mannered and old fashioned. He founded the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1904 and was knighted, for his contributions to theatre and his famous family includes his siblings, explorer Julius Beerbohm, author Constance Beerbohm and half-brother caricaturist Max Beerbohm. His daughters were Viola, an actress, Felicity and Iris, a poet, a grandson was the actor Oliver Reed. Born in Kensington, London as Herbert Draper Beerbohm, Tree was the son and second child of Julius Ewald Edward Beerbohm. The senior Beerbohm was of Dutch, Lithuanian, and German origin, he had come to England in about 1830, Trees younger brother was the author and explorer Julius Beerbohm, and his sister was author Constance Beerbohm. A younger half-brother was the parodist and caricaturist Max Beerbohm, born from their fathers second marriage, Max jokingly claimed that Herbert added the Tree to his name because it was easier for audiences than shouting Beerbohm. The latter part of his surname, bohm, is north German dialect for tree, Trees early education included Mrs Adamss Preparatory School at Frant, Dr Stones school in Kings Square, Bristol, and Westbourne collegiate school in Westbourne Grove, London. After these, he attended his fathers alma mater, Schnepfeuthal College in Thuringia, upon his return to England, he began performing with amateur troupes, eventually using the name Herbert Beerbohm Tree, while working in his fathers business. In 1878 Tree played Grimaldi in Dion Boucicaults The Life of an Actress at the Globe Theatre, shortly after, for the next six years, he performed mainly on tour in the British provinces, playing character roles. He made his London debut late in 1878 at the Olympic Theatre under the management of Henry Neville and his first real success was as the elderly Marquis de Pontsablé in Madame Favart, in which he toured towards the end of 1879. Another London engagement was as Prince Maleotti in a revival of Forget-me-Not at the Prince of Waless Theatre in 1880 and his first London success came in 1884 as the Rev. Robert Spalding in Charles Hawtreys adaptation of The Private Secretary. Tree embellished the comic elements of the role, which added to the popularity of the play and his next role was Paolo Marcari in Called Back by Hugh Conway. The contrast between this dashing Italian spy and his timid parson in Hawtreys play, showed his versatility as a character actor, other appearances over the next two years included roles in revivals of A. W. Pineros The Magistrate and W. S. Gilberts Engaged. In 1886 he played Iago in Othello and Sir Peter Teazle in The School for Scandal with F. R. Bensons company at Bournemouth. The same year, in London, he made a success at the Haymarket Theatre, in 1887, at age thirty-four, Tree took over the management of the Comedy Theatre in the West End of London
6.
Harold Pinter Theatre
–
The Harold Pinter Theatre, formerly the Comedy Theatre until 2011, is a West End theatre, and opened on Panton Street in the City of Westminster, on 15 October 1881, as the Royal Comedy Theatre. It was designed by Thomas Verity and built in just six months in painted stone, by 1884 it was known as just the Comedy Theatre. In the mid-1950s the theatre underwent major reconstruction and re-opened in December 1955, in 1883, the successful operetta Falka had its London première at the theatre, and in 1885, Erminie did the same. The theatres reputation grew through the First World War when Charles Blake Cochran, famous actors who appeared here include Henry Daniell who played John Carlton in Secrets in September 1929. The theatre was notable for the role it played in overturning stage censorship by establishing the New Watergate Club in 1956, the Theatres Act 1843 was still in force and required scripts to be submitted for approval by the Lord Chamberlains Office. Formation of the club allowed plays that had been banned due to language or subject matter to be performed under club conditions. Plays produced in this way included the UK premières of Arthur Millers A View from the Bridge, Robert Andersons Tea and Sympathy, the theatre was Grade II listed by English Heritage in June 1972. On 7 September 2011 it was announced that the theatres owner, howard Panter, Joint Chief Executive and Creative Director of ATG, told the BBC, The work of Pinter has become an integral part of the history of the Comedy Theatre
7.
Marie Tempest
–
Dame Marie Tempest DBE was an English singer and actress known as the queen of her profession. Tempest became the most famous soprano in late Victorian light opera, later, she became a leading comic actress and toured widely in North America and elsewhere. She was, at times, her own theatre manager during a career spanning 55 years, Tempest was also instrumental in the founding of the actors union Equity in Britain. Tempest was born Mary Susan Etherington in London and her parents were Edwin Etherington, a stationer, and Sarah Mary Castle Etherington. Tempest was educated at Midhurst School and an Ursuline convent in Thildonck, later, she studied music in Paris, France and at the Royal Academy of Music in London, as a singing pupil of Manuel García, the tutor of Jenny Lind. She adopted as her stage name part of the name of Lady Susan Vane-Tempest, Tempest had a sister named Florence Etherington who married theatre manager Michael Levenston. Tempest married Alfred Edward Izard, another student at the Academy and that marriage ended in divorce four years later, and Izard was awarded damages in the divorce settlement. She had a son named Norman in 1888, who would later be referred to in the press as Norman Lennox, taking the surname of Tempests second husband, Cosmo Lennox, whom she married a decade later. Tempest debuted in 1885 as Fiametta in Franz Suppés operetta Boccaccio at the Comedy Theatre in London and she starred steadily in London for the next two years in light operas by Hervé and André Messager, among others. She became internationally famous for her performance in the role in Dorothy by Alfred Cellier. Stephenson, which ran for a record-setting 931 performances and her marriage was damaged by rumours of an affair with her producer, but the same rumours only enhanced her appeal to her audiences. Richard DOyly Carte considered engaging her for his company but W. S. Gilbert reported that she screeched. In 1889, Tempest starred in Cellier and Stephensons Doris, the next year, in 1890, she created the role of Kitty Carol in The Red Hussar in London and then in New York City. She then toured the United States and Canada for a year with the J. C. Duff Comic Opera Company in such operettas as Carmen, Manon, Mignon, The Bohemian Girl and The Pirates of Penzance. She returned to Broadway for the three years in numerous productions including The Tyrolean, The Fencing Master by Reginald De Koven. During this period she was considered one of the few rivals of Lillian Russell, in 1895, George Edwardes bought her back to London to star in his Dalys Theatre productions, beginning with Adele in An Artists Model, which ran for over 400 performances. This was followed by roles in the even more successful The Geisha. Tempest was a star, and her arguments with Edwardes
8.
W. Somerset Maugham
–
William Somerset Maugham CH, better known as W. Somerset Maugham, was a British playwright, novelist and short story writer. He was among the most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highest-paid author during the 1930s, after losing both his parents by the age of 10, Maugham was raised by a paternal uncle who was emotionally cold. Not wanting to become a lawyer like other men in his family, the initial run of his first novel, Liza of Lambeth, sold out so rapidly that Maugham gave up medicine to write full-time. During and after the war, he travelled in India and Southeast Asia, all of these experiences were reflected in short stories. Maughams father, Robert Ormond Maugham, was a lawyer who handled the affairs of the British embassy in Paris. Since French law declared that all born on French soil could be conscripted for military service, his father arranged for Maugham to be born at the embassy. His grandfather, another Robert, had also been a prominent lawyer and co-founder of the Law Society of England and it was taken for granted that Maugham and his brothers would follow in their footsteps. His elder brother Viscount Maugham enjoyed a legal career and served as Lord Chancellor from 1938 to 1939. Maughams mother, Edith Mary, had tuberculosis, a condition for which her physician prescribed childbirth and she had Maugham several years after the last of his three older brothers, they were already enrolled in boarding school by the time he was three. Being the youngest, he was raised as an only child. Ediths sixth and final son died on 25 January 1882, one day after his birth, Edith died of tuberculosis six days later on 31 January at the age of 41. The early death of his mother left Maugham traumatized, he kept his mothers photograph by his bedside for the rest of his life, two years after Ediths death Maughams father died in France of cancer. Maugham was sent to the UK to be cared for by his uncle, Henry MacDonald Maugham, the move was damaging, as Henry Maugham proved cold and emotionally cruel. The boy attended The Kings School, Canterbury, which was difficult for him. He was teased for his bad English and his short stature, Maugham developed a stammer that stayed with him all his life, although it was sporadic, being subject to his moods and circumstances. Miserable both at his uncles vicarage and at school, the young Maugham developed a talent for making wounding remarks to those who displeased him and this ability is sometimes reflected in Maughams literary characters. At sixteen Maugham refused to continue at The Kings School and his uncle allowed him to travel to Germany, where he studied literature, philosophy and German at Heidelberg University. During his year in Heidelberg Maugham met and had an affair with John Ellingham Brooks
