Elizabeth H. "Cissie" Sewell (born about 1893 – died after 1954) was an English-born stage actress, dancer, and

ballet mistress A ballet master (also balletmaster, ballet mistress, ''premier maître de ballet'' or ''premier maître de ballet en chef'') is an employee of a ballet company who is responsible for the level of competence of the dancers in their company. In mo ...

, wife of Irish-born Canadian performer Cyril Biddulph.

Early life

Sewell was born in London. She trained as a dancer with

Adeline Genée Dame Adeline Genée Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, DBE (born Anina Kirstina Margarete Petra Jensen; 6 January 1878 – 23 April 1970) was a Danish-British ballet dancer. Early years Anina Kirstina Margarete Petra Jens ...

, and later with William C. Zerffi. Sewelltempleton

Career

Sewell appeared on the London stage as a child in ''Alice Through the Looking Glass'' (1903–1904), and created dances for the London production of the musical ''

Kissing Time ''Kissing Time'', and an earlier version titled ''The Girl Behind the Gun'', are musical comedies with music by Ivan Caryll, book and lyrics by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, and additional lyrics by Clifford Grey. The story is based on the 1 ...

'' (1919). 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 Stre ...

credits included roles in ''The Bachelor Belles'' (1910), ''

A Winsome Widow ''A Winsome Widow'' is a 1912 musical produced by Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr., which was a revised version of Charles Hale Hoyt's 1891 hit, '' A Trip to Chinatown'', with a score by Raymond Hubbell. History The show debuted at the Moulin Rouge on Ap ...

'' (1912), ''The Girl from Montmartre'' (1912–1913), ''

The Marriage Market ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'' (1913), '' The Girl from Utah'' (1914), ''

Hitchy-Koo ''Hitchy-Koo'' is a 1912 American popular song and a series of musical revues, inspired by the song, staged on Broadway each year from 1917 through 1920 and on tour in 1922. Described by '' Variety'' magazine as a "hit song of 1912", the song wa ...

'' (1917), ''Her Regiment'' (1917), ''The Girl Behind the Gun'' (1918–1919), ''Miss Millions'' (1919–1920), and ''Honey Girl'' (1920). Off-stage, Sewell endorsed musical instruments, and worked with playwright

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...

, music director Elsie April, and producer Charles B. Cochran, especially as ballet mistress on the American and Australian productions of '' Bitter Sweet''. She was also ballet mistress for a London production of ''Lights Up!'' in 1940. "Cissie's memory was fantastic," recalled Noël Coward in his autobiography. "In addition to her other virtues, an outspoken critical faculty allied to the kindest heart imaginable." She and her younger sister Georgie toured as a dancing act together. A third Sewell sister, Marie, was also an actress.

Personal life

Sewell married Canadian-stage actor Cyril Biddulph in 1912. He died in

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 ...

, in August 1918; he was a lieutenant in

Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI, generally referred to as the Patricias) is one of the three Regular Force infantry regiments of the Canadian Army of the Canadian Armed Forces. Formed in 1914, it is named for Princess Patrici ...

. In 1920, when fire broke out in the Boston hotel where she was staying, she delayed her evacuation until she rescued a photograph of her late husband, "disregard ngher valuable jewels, clothing and bonds".

Ellis Island Ellis Island is an island in New York Harbor, within the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York (state), New York. Owned by the U.S. government, Ellis Island was once the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United State ...

immigration records state that Sewell remained an unmarried widow through at least 1923.Name Search
The Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundations, Inc.Cissie S. Biddulph 1923 immigration record
The Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundations, Inc.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sewell, Cissie English actresses English dancers