Eva Moore (9 February 1868 – 27 April 1955) was an English actress. Her career on stage and in film spanned six decades, and she was active in the

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

movement. In her 1923 book of reminiscences, ''Exits and Entrances'', she describes approximately ninety of her roles in plays, but she continued to act on stage until 1945. She also acted in more than two dozen films. Her daughter,

Jill Esmond Jill Esmond (born Jill Esmond Moore; 26 January 1908 – 28 July 1990) was an English stage and screen actress. She was the first wife of Laurence Olivier. Early life Esmond was born in London, the daughter of stage actors Henry V. Esmond and ...

, was the first wife of Laurence Olivier.

Early life and career

Moore was born and educated in Brighton, Sussex, the eighth of ten children, the last of whom was the actress Decima Moore. Her parents were the

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe t ...

Edward Henry Moore and his wife, Emily (née Strachan) Moore. She attended Miss Pringle's school in Brighton and then studied gymnastics and dancing in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

. Returning to Brighton, she taught dancing. In 1891 she married actor/playwright Henry V. Esmond (1869–1922). They had three children: Jack (an actor), Jill (the actress

, first wife of Laurence Olivier) and Lynette, who did not survive infancy. Her husband wrote more than a dozen plays in which she appeared, and they appeared together in more than a dozen plays.Joannou, Maroula
"Moore, Eva (1868–1955)"
''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'', Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 10 February 2011 Moore made her first stage appearance at London's

Vaudeville Theatre The Vaudeville Theatre is a West End theatre on the Strand in the City of Westminster. As the name suggests, the theatre held mostly vaudeville shows and musical revues in its early days. It opened in 1870 and was rebuilt twice, although each ...

on 15 December 1887, as Varney in ''Proposals''. She next joined Toole's company and appeared at

Toole's Theatre Toole's Theatre, was a 19th-century West End theatre, West End building in William IV Street, near Charing Cross, in the City of Westminster. A succession of auditoria had occupied the site since 1832, serving a variety of functions, including ...

on 26 December of that year as the Spirit of Home in ''Dot''. In 1888, she was back at the Vaudeville in a play with her sisters Jessie and Decima, ''Partners'', by Robert Williams Buchanan. In 1890, she created the role of the countess of Drumdurris in the Arthur Wing Pinero play '' The Cabinet Minister'' at the Court Theatre. In 1892, she appeared as Minestra in the comic opera '' The Mountebanks'' by ''

W. S. Gilbert Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (18 November 1836 – 29 May 1911) was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his collaboration with composer Arthur Sullivan, which produced fourteen comic operas. The most fam ...

'' and '' Alfred Cellier''. The next year, she created the role of Pepita in the long-running '' Little Christopher Columbus''. In 1894, she joined Charles Hawtrey and

Lottie Venne Lottie Venne (28 May 1852 – 16 July 1928) was a British comedian, actress and singer of the Victorian and Edwardian eras, who enjoyed a theatre career spanning five decades. Venne began her stage career in musical burlesque before moving into ...

in F. C. Burnand's ''A Gay Widow''. Other stage roles included Mabel Vaughn in ''The Wilderness'' (1901); Lady Ernestone in Esmond's ''My Lady Cirtue'' and Wilhelmina Marr in his ''Billy's Little Love Affair'' (both 1903); and Kathie in ''Old Heidelberg'' (1902 and 1909) with George Alexander. In 1907, she took the name part in ''Sweet Kitty Bellaire'' (1907) and played Mrs. Errol in ''

Little Lord Fauntleroy ''Little Lord Fauntleroy'' is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was published as a serial in ''St. Nicholas Magazine'' from November 1885 to October 1886, then as a book by Scribner's (the publisher of ''St. Nicholas'') in 1886. The ill ...

'', Mrs. Crowley in ''The Explorer'' in 1908, the Hon. Mrs. Bayle in ''Best People'' and Mrs. Rivers in ''The House Opposite'' in 1909.

Later years and films

Moore was active in the suffrage movement (as was her sister Decima), attending meetings and appearing in suffragist plays and films. She was a founder of the Actresses' Franchise League in 1908 but resigned from that organisation when other members objected to her acting in a sketch called "Her Vote", by her husband, in which the heroine prefers kisses to votes. Moore later managed her husband's comedy ''Eliza Comes to Stay'', which opened at the

Criterion Theatre The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre at Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has a seating capacity of 588. Building the theatre In 1870, the caterers Spiers and Pond began developmen ...

on 12 February 1913, transferring to the

on 6 July 1914, and then took the play to New York City for an unsuccessful run. After the First World War began, she continued acting at the Vaudeville in the evenings but worked as a volunteer during the day for the Women's Emergency Corps, based at the Little Theatre. She raised money for hospital and wartime causes and was honoured with the ordre de la Reine Elisabeth for her wartime activities. At the Royalty Theatre, she played Mrs. Culver in the 1918 play ''The Title'', by

Arnold Bennett Enoch Arnold Bennett (27 May 1867 – 27 March 1931) was an English author, best known as a novelist. He wrote prolifically: between the 1890s and the 1930s he completed 34 novels, seven volumes of short stories, 13 plays (some in collaboratio ...

, where she also played Mrs. Etheridge in ''Caesar's Wife'' by

W. Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...

and the title role in '' Mumsie''. In October 1920, she and Esmond began an extensive tour of Canada with

Nigel Bruce William Nigel Ernle Bruce (4 February 1895 – 8 October 1953) was a British character actor on stage and screen. He was best known for his portrayal of Dr. Watson in a series of films and in the radio series ''The New Adventures of Sherlock ...

as their stage manager, who played Montague Jordan in ''Eliza Comes to Stay'', which re-opened at the

Duke of York's Theatre The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster, London. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre until her death in 1935. Designed by th ...

in London on 14 June 1923. From 1920 to 1946, Moore made over two dozen films, beginning with ''The Law Divine'' (1920). Some of her best-received silent films were '' Flames of Passion'' (1922), '' The Great Well'' (1924), '' Chu-Chin-Chow'' (1925) and ''

Motherland A homeland is a place where a cultural, national, or racial identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethni ...

'' (1927). Her most popular 'talkies' included '' Almost a Divorce'' (1931), '' The Old Dark House'' (1932), '' Leave It to Smith'' (1933), '' I Was a Spy'' (1933), '' Jew Süss'' (1934), '' A Cup of Kindness'' (1934), ''

Vintage Wine ''Vintage Wine'' is a 1935 British comedy film directed by Henry Edwards and starring Seymour Hicks, Claire Luce, Eva Moore and Judy Gunn. The film was made at Julius Hagen's Twickenham Studios, but was released by Gaumont British Distributor ...

'' (1935), ''

The Divorce of Lady X ''The Divorce of Lady X'' is a 1938 British Technicolor romantic comedy film produced by London Films; it stars Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson and Binnie Barnes. It was directed by Tim Whelan and produced by Alexander Kord ...

'' (1938, which starred her son-in-law Laurence Olivier) and ''

Of Human Bondage ''Of Human Bondage'' is a 1915 novel by W. Somerset Maugham. The novel is generally agreed to be Maugham's masterpiece and to be strongly autobiographical in nature, although he stated, "This is a novel, not an autobiography; though much in i ...

'' (1946).Parker, pp. 1060–62, 1628 Moore published her reminiscences, ''Exits and Entrances'', in 1923 but continued to act until 1945. In later years, she resided at

Bisham Bisham is a village and civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. The village is on the River Thames, around south of Marlow in the neighbouring county of Buckinghamshire, and around northwest of Maide ...

, Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, dying of myocardial degeneration at age 87.

Notes

References

* Parker, John (editor), ''Who's Who in the Theatre'', 10th revised edition, London (1947)

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Eva 1870 births 1955 deaths English stage actresses English film actresses English silent film actresses People from Brighton 20th-century English actresses