Ethel Lavenu (1842 – 14 August 1917) was a British

stage actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

. She was the mother of stage and silent screen actor Tyrone Power Sr., and grandmother of the

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

film star

Tyrone Power Tyrone Edmund Power III (May 5, 1914 – November 15, 1958) was an American actor. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Power appeared in dozens of films, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads. His better-known films include ''Jesse James (193 ...

Life and career

Born in Chelsea as Eliza Lavenu, the third of six daughters of the

cellist The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

, composer, and music impresario Lewis Henry Lavenu by his wife Julia, daughter of Col. John Blossett, head of the British expedition to assist

Simon Bolivar Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

in the war of independence in

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

. Her father was often away on tour, and in 1855 left for

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

leaving the family in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. In 1861 Ethel was living with her mother at 128,

Long Acre Long Acre is a street in the City of Westminster in central London. It runs from St Martin's Lane, at its western end, to Drury Lane in the east. The street was completed in the early 17th century and was once known for its Coach_(carriage), co ...

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

, she, her elder sister Ada, and younger sister Alice were all listed as ''Professional'', and her youngest sister Bessie was also later to become an actress. She had more success than her sisters, by 1863 appearing in various plays at the Royal

Lyceum Theatre, London The Lyceum Theatre ( ) is a West End theatre located in the City of Westminster, on Wellington Street, just off the Strand in central London. It has a seating capacity of 2,100. The origins of the theatre date to 1765. Managed by Samuel Arno ...

. In 1866, she married Harold Littledale Power, the youngest son of the Irish actor

. She had two sons, George Arthur, born in 1868, an actor, known as Littledale Power, who later appeared on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

, and Frederick Tyrone Edmond, known as Tyrone Power Sr.

Stage appearances

* ''The Duke's Motto'' (with Kate Terry, sister of

Ellen Terry Dame Alice Ellen Terry (27 February 184721 July 1928) was a leading English actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born into a family of actors, Terry began performing as a child, acting in Shakespeare plays in London, and toured ...

), January, 1863, Theatre Royal Lyceum. * ''A Day After The Fair'', March, 1864, Royal Lyceum Theatre. * ''Bel Demonio'', March, 1864 with Kate Terry, Royal Lyceum Theatre. * ''Nursey Chickweed'', December, 1865, Royal Lyceum Theatre. * ''The Master of Ravenswood'', May, 1866, Royal Lyceum Theatre. * ''The Corsican Brothers'', June, 1866, Royal Lyceum Theatre.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lavenu, Ethel 1842 births 1917 deaths English stage actresses 19th-century English actresses Women of the Victorian era Actresses from London People from Chelsea, London Power family Actors from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea