Amelia Swilley Bingham (March 20, 1869 – September 1, 1927) was an American actress from

Hicksville, Ohio Hicksville is a village in Defiance County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,581 at the 2010 census. It sits around 2.2 miles east from the Ohio- Indiana border. History Led by Henry W. Hicks, the Hicks Land Company platted the comm ...

.''Amelia Bingham, Actress Is Dead'', New York Times, September 2, 1927, pg. 17. Her

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 Stree ...

career extended from 1896 until 1926.Amelia Bingham, Internet Broadway Database
accessed July 21, 2020. Bingham attended

Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio. It was founded in 1842 by methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five – a consorti ...

before marrying Lloyd Bingham. Her father was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

minister who managed a hotel. Her future husband persuaded her father to permit Bingham to go on stage approximately a year before the couple married.

Theatrical career

Her first role in a stage production came on the

Pacific Coast Pacific coast may be used to reference any coastline that borders the Pacific Ocean. Geography Americas Countries on the western side of the Americas have a Pacific coast as their western or southwestern border, except for Panama, where the Pac ...

. Her New York City debut came at the People's Theatre, 199

Bowery The Bowery () is a street and neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City. The street runs from Chatham Square at Park Row, Worth Street, and Mott Street in the south to Cooper Square at 4th Street in the north.Jackson, Kenneth L. ...

, Manhattan, in 1893. Her role was a leading part in a

melodrama A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exce ...

, ''The Struggle For Life''. Her early successes in the 1890s included ''The Power of Gold'', ''The Shaughran'', ''Colleen Bawn'', ''The Village Postmaster'', and ''Captain Impudence''. By 1897 she was managed by

Charles Frohman Charles Frohman (July 15, 1856 – May 7, 1915) was an American theater manager and producer, who discovered and promoted many stars of the American stage. Notably, he produced '' Peter Pan'', both in London and the US, the latter productio ...

and was the

leading lady A leading actor, leading actress, or simply lead (), plays the role of the protagonist of a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person who typica ...

in ''

The White Heather ''The White Heather'' is a lost 1919 American silent drama film directed by Maurice Tourneur and starring Holmes Herbert, Ben Alexander and Ralph Graves. It was based on an 1897 play of the same title by Cecil Raleigh and Henry Hamilton. Th ...

''. With Frohman she was featured in ''The Pink Domino'', ''The Proper Caper'', ''On and Off'', ''At the White Horse Tavern'', ''The Cuckoo'', and ''His Excellency The Governor''. Bingham's popularity as a performer peaked around 1897. She tallied more than 9,000 of 30,000 votes cast in a newspaper competition for the title of ''American State Queen''. Earlier stars like

Lillian Russell Lillian Russell (born Helen Louise Leonard; December 4, 1860 or 1861 – June 6, 1922), was an American actress and singer. She became one of the most famous actresses and singers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, known for her beauty ...

Maud Allan Maud Allan (born as either Beulah Maude Durrant or Ulah Maud Alma Durrant;Birthname given as Ulah Maud Alma DurrantMcConnell, Virginia A. ''Sympathy for the Devil: The Emmanuel Baptist Murders of Old San Francisco'', University of Nebraska Pr ...

Ada Rehan Ada Rehan (born Bidelia Crehan; June 12, 1857 – January 8, 1916) was an American actress and comedian who typified the "personality" style of acting in the nineteenth century. Early life and career She was born Bidelia Crehan in Limerick cit ...

, and Fannie Davenport received a mere hundred votes each. She started the Amelia Bingham Company which produced ''The Climbers'' starring

Bijou Fernandez Bijou Fernandez (November 4, 1877 – November 7, 1961) was an American stage and silent film actress. Her theatrical career endured for seven decades, from the 1880s until the mid 20th century. She appeared in a few movies in the silent film er ...

. A visit to

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in 1900 acquainted her with actresses who were their own producers. ''The Climbers'' by

Clyde Fitch Clyde Fitch (May 2, 1865 – September 4, 1909) was an American dramatist, the most popular writer for the Broadway stage of his time (c. 1890–1909). Biography Born in Elmira, New York, and educated at Holderness School and Amherst College (c ...

premiered at the Bijou Theatre on January 15, 1901, and had an extended run. Other plays that were staged with her oversight were ''Lady Margaret'', ''The Modern Magdalen'', and ''The Frisky Mrs. Johnson''. Bingham performed and produced ''Olympe'' (1904), a Broadway play in which she later toured with

Gilbert Miller } Gilbert Heron Miller (July 3, 1884 – January 3, 1969) was an American theatrical producer. Born in New York City, he was the son of English-born theatrical producer Henry Miller and Bijou Heron, a former child actress. Raised and educated i ...

. During the summer of 1904 ''Olympe'' played for one week at the Elitch Theatre in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Colorado. "While ''Olympe'' is a romantic drama, it is also known as a costume play.... Miss Bingham brought to Elitch the original costumes used in the New York production.... One gown alone cost Miss Bingham $1,000." Bingham acted the lead in ''Big Moments from Great Plays'' (1909) and starred with William H. Crane and Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in ''The New Henrietta'', prior to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. However, illness began to hinder her from working around 1914. In 1918 she appeared in ''The Man Who Stayed Home''. Actress Amelia Bingham

Her final stage appearance came at the Century Theatre in ''The Pearl of Great Price''. She depicted ''Shame'' in the 1926 production. Bingham detested having to play the type of woman she portrayed in this production. She commented, ''for years I have played decent women on the stage.'' Financial circumstances forced her into accepting the part.he previous year she participated in a revival of ''Trelawny of the Wells'' (1925), written by

Arthur Wing Pinero Sir Arthur Wing Pinero (24 May 185523 November 1934) was an English playwright and, early in his career, actor. Pinero was drawn to the theatre from an early age, and became a professional actor at the age of 19. He gained experience as a supp ...

Personal life and death

BBingham resided in the Riverside Drive mansion for a decade after her husband's demise. Passers-by noticed statues and black curtains inside. Its interior also housed gilt-framed mirrors with intricate decorative patterns, clocks, coats of armor, helmets, lances, swords,

candelabra A candelabra (plural candelabras) or candelabrum (plural candelabra or candelabrums) is a candle holder with multiple arms. Although electricity has relegated candleholders to decorative use, interior designers continue to model light fixtures ...

, and crucifixes. Many of the items were collected by Lloyd Bingham and some were sold when it was discovered that Bingham's estate amounted to less than $5,000. In 1925 two thieves stole $1,500 in jewelry from the home. Bingham's quick thinking prevented them from noticing a bag that contained $20,000 in jewels. Bingham died in 1927 following an eight-month battle with

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, h ...

complicated by

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...

. She was 58 years old. She died at her home at 103 Riverside Drive, Manhattan, New York City, a house formerly owned by

Joseph Jefferson Joseph Jefferson III, commonly known as Joe Jefferson (February 20, 1829 – April 23, 1905), was an American actor. He was the third actor of this name in a family of actors and managers, and one of the most famous 19th century American comedia ...

. Her husband, Lloyd Bingham, had predeceased her. He died in

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(now

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on a mission of peace for

Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production. By creating the first automobile that ...

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in 1915. Amelia Bingham was buried at

Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx Woodlawn Cemetery is one of the largest cemeteries in New York City and a designated National Historic Landmark. Located south of Woodlawn Heights, Bronx, New York City, it has the character of a rural cemetery. Woodlawn Cemetery opened during ...

after her funeral at the

Little Church Around the Corner The Church of the Transfiguration, also known as the Little Church Around the Corner, is an Episcopal parish church located at 1 East 29th Street, between Madison and Fifth Avenues in the NoMad neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The con ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bingham, Amelia 19th-century American actresses American stage actresses Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York) Vaudeville performers People from Hicksville, Ohio 1869 births 1927 deaths 20th-century American actresses