Blanche M. Dayne (December 25, 1871 – June 27, 1944) was an American actress in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

, often in a duo team with her husband, Will M. Cressy.

Early life

Dayne was born in

Troy, New York Troy is a city in and the county seat of Rensselaer County, New York, United States. It is located on the western edge of the county, on the eastern bank of the Hudson River just northeast of the capital city of Albany, New York, Albany. At the ...

on Christmas Day in 1871; she was on the stage from an early age.

Career

She appeared in one

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 ...

show, ''A Village Lawyer'' (1908), and in one

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

, ''Fifty Dollars a Kiss'' (1915). Other stage credits were roles in vaudeville comedy sketches, including ''The Old Homestead'', ''Grasping an Opportunity'', ''The Key of C'', ''Bill Biffin's Baby'', ''The New Depot'', ''Town Hall To-night'', and ''The Wyoming Whoop.'' In 1898, she appeared with A. F. Fanshawe in the sketches ''A False Life'', ''The Country Postmaster'', ''An American Beauty'', and ''Asa Jenkins''. She and her husband were Cressy & Dayne, a popular vaudeville comedy act from the 1890s into the 1920s. They were described as "among the highest-salaried players in vaudeville to-day" in a 1909 account. The couple published ''Summer Days with Will Cressy and Blanche Dayne'', a photo book of their summer travels, including their home in New Hampshire, their automobile tour through California, and photographs they took on a world driving tour in 1910. They entertained troops in France during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, with the Overseas Theater League, and were the first entertainers to enter

Verdun Verdun ( , ; ; ; official name before 1970: Verdun-sur-Meuse) is a city in the Meuse (department), Meuse departments of France, department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. In 843, the Treaty of V ...

after the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

. Will Cressy's health was permanently damaged by exposure to chemical gas during their time in France. In 1921, Blanche Dayne Cressy was made "an honorary Rotarian" by the

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest Service club, service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, go ...

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

(women were not admitted to Rotary membership at the time)."The History of Women in Rotary International"
''Rotary Club of San Jose East/Evergreen'' (June 13, 2012).

Personal life

Dayne married Will M. Cressy, a writer and fellow vaudevillian, in 1890. He died in 1930. She died in 1944, at her sister's home in

Hackensack, New Jersey Hackensack is the most populous municipality in and the county seat of Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

, aged 72 years.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dayne, Blanche 1871 births 1944 deaths American vaudeville performers American actresses Actors from Troy, New York American women in World War I 20th-century American actresses