Agnes Kelly Robertson (25 December 1833 in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
– 6 November 1916) was a Scottish actress who became popular on the American stage.
Early years
Robertson was the ward of
Charles Kean
Charles John Kean (18 January 181122 January 1868) was an Irish-born English actor and theatre manager, best known for his revivals of Shakespearean plays.
Life
Kean was born at Waterford, Ireland, a son of actor Edmund Kean and actress Mary ...
, and the juvenile lead in his theatre company. There she met the actor and dramatist
Dion Boucicault
Dionysius Lardner "Dion" Boucicault (né Boursiquot; 26 December 1820 – 18 September 1890) was an Irish actor and playwright famed for his melodramas. By the later part of the 19th century, Boucicault had become known on both sides of the ...
, a collaborator of Kean's. In 1853, she and Boucicault left for America without Kean's permission and married in New York, creating a scandal.
Career
Robertson made her North American debut on 19 September 1853 at Montreal's Theatre Royal as Maria in Boucicault's ''The Young Actress''. She also acted in ''Jessie Brown; or, The Siege of Lucknow'' (1858), ''
The Octoroon
''The Octoroon'' is a play by Dion Boucicault that opened in 1859 at The Winter Garden Theatre, New York City. Extremely popular, the play was kept running continuously for years by seven road companies. Among antebellum melodramas, it was con ...
'' (1859), and ''
The Colleen Bawn
''The Colleen Bawn, or The Brides of Garryowen'' is a melodramatic Play (theatre), play written by Irish people, Irish playwright Dion Boucicault. It was first performed at Laura Keene's Theatre, New York City, New York, on 27 March 1860 with ...
'' (1860). She was billed as The Pocket Venus. Three photographic portraits of Robertson are held in the
National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to:
* National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra
* National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred
*National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C.
*National Portrait Gallery, London
...
in London.
Family
Robertson became Boucicault's second wife in 1853 and divorced him on 21 June 1888 by reason of "bigamy with adultery" after it was discovered that he had married another woman, Louise Thorndyke, bigamously. During the time of their marriage, they had 6 children: Dion William; Eva (or Eve) Boucicault; Darley George ("Dot") Boucicault, later known as
Dion Boucicault the Younger (an actor, manager and stage director who married actress
Irene Vanbrugh
Dame Irene Boucicault (2 December 1872 – 30 November 1949), Barnes, known professionally as Irene Vanbrugh () was an English actress. The daughter of a clergyman, Vanbrugh followed her elder sister Violet Vanbrugh, Violet into the theatrica ...
); Patrice Boucicault;
Nina Boucicault
Nina Boucicault (27 February 1867 – 2 August 1950) was an English-born actress, daughter of the Irish playwright Dion Boucicault, and the actress Agnes Kelly Robertson. She had three brothers, Dion William (1855–1876), Dion Boucicault Jr ...
(an actress); and
Aubrey Boucicault (an actor and writer).
References
External links
contemporary portrait(North American Theatre Online)
Agnes Robertson c.1870s(AlexanderStreet, North American Theatre Online)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, Agnes Kelly
Scottish stage actresses
British emigrants to the United States
1833 births
1916 deaths