Dorothy Ward (26 April 1890 – 30 March 1987) was an English actress who specialised in

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

s, playing the

principal boy In pantomime, a principal boy role is the young male protagonist of the play, traditionally played by a young actress in boy's clothes. The earliest example is Miss Ellington who in 1852 appeared in ''The Good Woman in the Wood'' by James Planc ...

roles, while her husband Shaun Glenville would play the

dame ''Dame'' is a traditionally British honorific title given to women who have been admitted to certain orders of chivalry. It is the female equivalent of ''Sir'', the title used by knights. Baronet, Baronetesses Suo jure, in their own right also u ...

roles. She had a successful 52 year career and played in over 40 pantomimes between 1905 and 1957.

Early career

Ward was born in

Aston Aston is an area of inner Birmingham, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Located immediately to the north-west of Birmingham city centre, Central Birmingham, Aston constitutes a wards of the United Kingdom, war ...

(now part of

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

), Warwickshire, on 26 April 1890, to Eliza (née Millichamp, 1867–1946) and Edwin Ward (1866–), a wholesale bottler. When she was 14 she was taken to see ''Jack and the Beanstalk'' with

Ada Reeve Ada Reeve (born Adelaide Mary Reeves, 3 March 1874 – 5 October 1966) was an English actress of both stage and film. Reeve began to perform in pantomime and music hall as a child. She gained fame in Edwardian musical comedies in the 1890s. Re ...

as the

, and from that moment she decided on a career in

. She made her stage début at the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham in 1905, aged 15, playing Zenobia in the pantomime ''Bluebeard''. Following her success in this

Robert Courtneidge Robert Courtneidge (29 June 1859 – 6 April 1939) was a British theatrical manager-producer and playwright. He is best remembered as the co-author of the light opera '' Tom Jones'' (1907) and the producer of '' The Arcadians'' (1909). He was ...

offered her the role of Betty in the

Edwardian musical comedy Edwardian musical comedy is a genre of British musical theatre that thrived from 1892 into the 1920s, extending beyond the reign of King Edward VII in both directions. It began to dominate the English musical stage, and even the American musical ...

''The Dairymaids'' at the

Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre is a listed building, Grade II listed West End theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.

in London (1906) opposite

Phyllis Dare Phyllis Dare (born Phyllis Constance Haddie Dones; 15 August 1890 – 27 April 1975) was an English actress and singer famous for her performances in Edwardian musical comedy and other musical theatre in the first half of the 20th century. Bor ...

and Walter Passmore. The Christmas season of 1906 saw her as Dandini in the pantomime ''Cinderella'' at

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 ...

, where she understudied the role of Prince Charming; when the principal player fell ill Ward had her first opportunity to play

. She next created the non-speaking role of Etoff in

Edward German Sir Edward German (born German Edward Jones; 17 February 1862 – 11 November 1936) was an English musician and composer of Welsh descent, best remembered for his extensive output of incidental music for the stage and as a successor to Arthur S ...

comic opera Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue. Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a ne ...

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...

'' at the

Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre is a listed building, Grade II listed West End theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.

in London (1907), and in 1908 she played Princess Helene in the

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...

A Waltz Dream ' (''A Waltz Dream'') is an operetta by Oscar Straus (composer), Oscar Straus with a German libretto by and , based on the novella ' (''Nux, the Prince consort, Prince Consort'') by Hans Müller-Einigen from his 1905 book ' (''Book of Adventures ...

'' at the Hicks Theatre.D. Forbes-Winslow, ''Daly's - The Biography of a Theatre'', W. H. Allen & Co., London (1944) This was followed by

George Edwardes George Joseph Edwardes (né Edwards; 8 October 1855 – 4 October 1915) was an English theatre manager and producer of Irish ancestry who brought a new era in musical theatre to the British stage and beyond. Edwardes started out in theatre ma ...

's production of ''

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Gaiety Theatre before joining the cast of '' The Gay Gordons'' at the

Aldwych Theatre The Aldwych Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Aldwych in the City of Westminster, central London. It was listed Grade II on 20 July 1971. Its seating capacity is 1,200 on three levels. History Origins The theatre was constructed in th ...

. In his history of

Daly's Theatre Daly's Theatre was a theatre in the City of Westminster. It was located at 2 Cranbourn Street, just off Leicester Square. It opened on 27 June 1893, and was demolished in 1937. The theatre was built for and named after the American impresa ...

D. Forbes Winslow wrote of this period:

Dorothy said one of the happiest times of her life was when she was with George Edwardes at the Gaiety Theatre, understudying at the age of sixteen several parts in ''Havana''. She got her chance to play the lead. Edwardes gave her her first big chance in London as the Princess in ''A Waltz Dream''. After the first performance he presented her with a quaint ring: it consisted of two large diamonds, set one on each side of a shamrock leaf in emeralds – similar to the one he gave to
Lily Elsie Elsie Cotton (''née'' Hodder, 8 April 1886 – 16 December 1962), known professionally as Lily Elsie, was an English actress and singer during the Edwardian era. She was best known for her starring role in the London premiere of Franz Lehár's ...
when she made her first big hit in ''
The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' ( ) is an operetta by the Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The Libretto, librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein (writer), Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's ...
''.

She played Robin Hood in the pantomime ''The Babes in the Wood'' at the Prince of Wales Theatre in her home town of Birmingham (1909–10) followed by the title role in the pantomime ''Little Jack Horner'' at

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

in (1910–11) in which the

Dame ''Dame'' is a traditionally British honorific title given to women who have been admitted to certain orders of chivalry. It is the female equivalent of ''Sir'', the title used by knights. Baronet, Baronetesses Suo jure, in their own right also u ...

was played by the young Irish actor Shaun Glenville. The two married in 1911. Their son was actor/director

Peter Glenville Peter Glenville (born Peter Patrick Brabazon Browne; 28 October 19133 June 1996) was an English theatre and film director, and actor. He was a prominent director of stage plays on the West End and Broadway in the 1950s. He was nominated fo ...

(1913–1996).

Peak years

Ward became noted as one of the leading

s, while Glenville as "a pantomime Dame without equal". Thus, for 50 years they often played mother and son. They appeared in pantomimes together until 1914 when Ward was cast as Louise opposite

Fay Compton Virginia Lilian Emmeline Compton-Mackenzie, (; 18 September 1894 – 12 December 1978), known professionally as Fay Compton, was an English actress. She appeared in several films, and made many broadcasts, but was best known for her stage per ...

and

Cicely Courtneidge Dame Esmerelda Cicely Courtneidge (1 April 1893 – 26 April 1980) was an Australian-born British actress, comedian and singer. The daughter of the producer and playwright Robert Courtneidge, she was appearing in his productions in the West End ...

in ''The Cinema Star'', which toured the provinces before opening at the

Shaftesbury Theatre The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden. It opened in 1911 as the New Prince's Theatre, with a capacity of 2,500. The current capacity is 1,416. The title "Shaftesbury Theat ...

in London. In 1916 she was in ''We’re All In It'' at the

London Hippodrome The Hippodrome is a building on the corner of Cranbourn Street and Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, London. The name was used for many different theatres and music halls, of which the London Hippodrome is one of only a few survi ...

, touring throughout 1917 before being reunited with Glenville in ''Happy Go Lucky'' (1918). For much of 1921 she was with her husband in New York where she was Phoebe Throssel in '' Quality Street'' at the Shubert Theatre and Cora Angélique in ''

The Whirl of New York ''The Whirl of New York'' is a Broadway musical that premiered at Winter Garden Theatre on June 13, 1921. It was an expanded and substantially re-worked version of '' The Belle of New York'' (1897, music by Gustave Kerker with book and lyrics by ...

'' at the

Winter Garden Theatre The Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre at 1634 Broadway in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. Originally designed by architect William Albert Swasey, it opened in 1911. The Winter Garden's current des ...

. Ward's performance in ''Quality Street'' gained harsh reviews from some critics, with

Dorothy Parker Dorothy Parker (née Rothschild; August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967) was an American poet and writer of fiction, plays and screenplays based in New York; she was known for her caustic wisecracks, and eye for 20th-century urban foibles. Parker ros ...

commenting; 'They have brought over from England a lady named Dorothy Ward to play the title role of Phoebe in ''Quality Street'' and, considering what a first-class passage costs these days, it seems really staggering to think of the money that could have been saved by the simple means of letting her stay happily at home... she has been billed by a hysterical press agent, as "England's greatest comédienne". I don't pretend to be right up to the minute with what is going on upon the British stage, but I can say with perfect safety that if she is England's greatest comédienne, then I'm

Mrs. Fiske Minnie Maddern Fiske (born Marie Augusta Davey; December 19, 1865 – February 15, 1932), but often billed simply as Mrs. Fiske, was one of the leading American actresses of the late 19th and early 20th century. She also spearheaded the fig ...

'. Another critic wrote that Ward's was the season's 'most astonishing piece of casting' and that she approached her role in the 'dainty' operetta 'in the frenzied manner usually reserved for the mad scenes in Italian opera'. Her husband fared little better. Ward and Glenville had been cast in ''Mother Goose'' at the Alhambra Theatre in Glasgow for the Christmas pantomime in 1921. At the last minute, however, Ward was called to replace

Clarice Mayne Clarice Mayne (born Clarice Mabel Dulley; 6 February 1886 – 16 January 1966) was an English music hall and variety theatre singer and performer. Life and career Clarice Mabel Dulley was born in London in 1886. She took the stage name Cla ...

in ''Jack and the Beanstalk'' at the

opposite

George Robey Sir George Edward Wade, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (20 September 1869 – 29 November 1954),James Harding (music writer), Harding, James"Robey, George" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University P ...

. In 1926 the couple were in ''The Apache'' at the

Theatre Royal, Newcastle The Theatre Royal is a historic theatre, a Grade I listed building situated on Grey Street in Newcastle upon Tyne. History George III authorised the founding of a theatre in Newcastle upon Tyne in the 1780s. Newcastle's original Theatre Royal o ...

before taking it on tour and then opening at the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in Soho. The theatre was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1910. The auditorium holds 2,286 people. Hundreds of stars have played there, many wit ...

in 1927. Next they were next on tour in ''The Blue Train''. She was Cora Angélique in a revival of '' The Belle of New York'' at Daly's Theatre in London (1931), and followed this as Lady Holyrood in a revival of ''

Florodora ''Florodora'' is an Edwardian musical comedy. After its long run in London, it became one of the first successful Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals of the 20th century. The book was written by Jimmy Davis under the pseudonym Owen Hall, the mus ...

''. Next she was Nan in ''

A Country Girl ''A Country Girl, or, Town and Country'' is a musical play in two acts by James T. Tanner, with lyrics by Adrian Ross, additional lyrics by Percy Greenbank, music by Lionel Monckton and additional songs by Paul Rubens (composer), Paul Rubens. Th ...

'', followed by ''

The Duchess of Dantzic ''The Duchess of Dаntzic'' is a comic opera in three acts, set in Paris, with music by Ivan Caryll and a book and lyrics by Henry Hamilton (playwright), Henry Hamilton, based on the play ''Madame Sans-Gêne (play), Madame Sans-Gêne'' by Victori ...

''. With Glenville she ended the 1932 season in ''

La poupée LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smi ...

''. At the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Ward was among the first entertainers to join

ENSA The Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) was an organisation established in 1939 by Basil Dean and Leslie Henson to provide entertainment for British armed forces personnel during World War II. ENSA operated as part of the Navy, ...

, for whom she toured France entertaining the troops. By now the couple were quite wealthy and included a Rolls-Royce car among their possessions. The actor

Roy Hudd Roy Hudd (16 May 1936 – 15 March 2020) was an English comedian, actor, presenter, radio host, author and authority on the history of music hall entertainment. Early life Hudd was born in Croydon on 16 May 1936 to Evalina "Evie" (née Barham ...

wrote of Ward's appearance as Colin the Miller's Son in a pantomime of ''Puss in Boots'' in 1941:

At the dress rehearsal she made her first entrance in her "poor boy" costume but wearing a positive fistful of diamond rings. She was very proud of how well she'd done, and wanted everyone else to know it too. At the end of the run-through,
Emile Littler Sir Emile Littler (9 September 1903 – 23 January 1985), born Emile Richeux, was an English theatrical impresario, producer and author. Life and career Littler was born in Ramsgate, Kent, in the south east of England, the younger son in the fam ...
said, "Dorothy, darling, you’re supposed to be the poor miller’s son. I think we should dispense with the diamond rings". Dorothy said nothing, but on the opening night she came on with her hands behind her back and said, "Here I am, Colin the poor miller’s son". She then waved her bejewelled hands at the audience and added, "and look what the Good Fairy keeps giving me!"

From October 1944 to January 1945 Ward played Loretta Zelma in ''Meet Me Victoria'' at the

Victoria Palace Theatre The Victoria Palace Theatre is a West End theatre in Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster. The theatre was designed by Frank Matcham in 1911 and was the last London theatre he designed before his retirement. The building was designated ...

opposite

Lupino Lane Henry William George Lupino (16 June 1892 – 10 November 1959) professionally Lupino Lane, was an English actor and theatre manager, and a member of the famous theatrical Lupino family, which eventually included his cousin, the screenwriter/di ...

. By the 1950s Ward was beginning to wonder if she could still carry off the

roles. In an interview in 1954 while appearing as

Dick Whittington Richard Whittington ( March 1423) of the parish of St Michael Paternoster Royal,Will of Richard Whittington: " I leave to my executors named below the entire tenement in which I live in the parish of St. Michael Paternoster Royal, Londo/ ...

at the Kingston Empire she was reluctant to discuss her date of birth, saying, "I want audiences to enjoy the pantomime – not to wonder if I’ve got my own teeth!" In 1957 she made her last appearance as principal boy at the age of 66 playing the lead in ''Dick Whittington'' at the Pavilion Theatre in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, bringing to an end a career in which she had played principal boy almost continuously since 1905.

Songs and recordings

During her career Ward performed a number of songs by her and Glenville's friend,

Fred Godfrey Fred or Frederick Godfrey may refer to: * Fred Godfrey (bandmaster) (1837–1882), English bandmaster and music arranger * Fred Godfrey (footballer) (1910–1989), Australian footballer *Fred Godfrey (songwriter) (1880–1953), Welsh songwriter ...

, including: 'Meet Me Jenny When The Sun Goes Down' in pantomime in Belfast in 1908. Ward is known to have recorded four Godfrey songs: 'Blue Eyes' (Regal G-7170, 1915); 'Tommy’s Learning French' (Regal G-7219, 1915); 'I Love My Motherland' (Regal G-7418, 1916); and 'Take Me Back To Dear Old Blighty' (Regal G-7398, 1916). Also, from information gathered from

sheet music Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chords of a song or instrumental musical piece. Like its analogs – printed Book, books or Pamphlet, pamphlets ...

covers and other sources she also sang Godfrey’s 'It’s The Way They Have In The Navy' (1914); 'I’m Coming Back To Old Kilkenny' (1915); 'Take Me Back To Your Heart' (1915); 'You Were The First One To Teach Me To Love' (1916); 'Down Texas Way' (1917); 'Open Your Heart And Let The Sunshine In' (1920); 'Till You Come Back Again' (1926); 'Arm In Arm Together' (1931); and 'There Is Always A Silver Lining' (1939).

Later years

She was interviewed as a castaway on the

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...

programme ''

Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a " castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight audio recordin ...

'' on 23 December 1954. She and her husband jointly retired to London in 1957, where Glenville died in 1968.

Music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...

historian W. Macqueen-Pope called her: Dorothy Ward died aged 96 in

Hendon Hendon is an urban area in the London Borough of Barnet, northwest London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient Manorialism, manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

on 30 March 1987.Dorothy Ward-Glenville
England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 - Ancestry.com

References

External links

Tribute site
by a family member, with many pictures. (Link now via Internet Archive]
Portraits of Dorothy Ward
-

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London that houses a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. When it opened in 1856, it was arguably the first national public gallery in the world th ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Dorothy 1890 births 1987 deaths 20th-century English actresses 20th-century English singers 20th-century English women singers Actresses from Birmingham, West Midlands Converts to Roman Catholicism from Protestantism People from Aston