Mary Ellaline Terriss, Lady Hicks (born Mary Ellaline Lewin, 13 April 1871 – 16 June 1971), known professionally as Ellaline Terriss, was a popular British actress and singer, best known for her performances in

Edwardian musical comedies 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 ...

. She met and married the actor-producer Seymour Hicks in 1893, and the two collaborated on many projects for the stage and screen. The daughter of the actor William Terriss, Ellaline made her London stage debut at the age of 16 in ''Cupid's Messenger'' at London's

Haymarket Theatre The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre in Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in ...

. Impressed with her performance, the producer Charles Wyndham gave her a three-year contract, under which she first played Madge in ''Why Women Weep''. In 1892 Terriss starred in ''Faithful James'' (by B. C. Stephenson) and the following year she starred in the title role of ''Cinderella'', produced by

Henry Irving Sir Henry Irving (6 February 1838 – 13 October 1905), christened John Henry Brodribb, sometimes known as J. H. Irving, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility ( ...

. She was featured in W. S. Gilbert's ''

His Excellency Excellency is an honorific style (manner of address), style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder ...

'' in 1894, followed the next year by a starring role in the George Edwardes production of the musical ''

The Shop Girl ''The Shop Girl'' was an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts (described by the author as a musical farce) written by Henry J. W. Dam, with lyrics by Dam and Adrian Ross and music by Ivan Caryll, and additional numbers by Lionel Monckton and Ro ...

'', playing alongside her husband. The next year she starred in another musical hit, ''

The Circus Girl ''The Circus Girl'' is a Edwardian musical comedy in two acts with a book by James T. Tanner and Walter Apllant (Palings), lyrics by Harry Greenbank and Adrian Ross, music by Ivan Caryll, and additional music by Lionel Monckton.

''. In 1897, her father was murdered by a deranged actor. As a result, she received much public sympathy, returning to the stage to star in '' A Runaway Girl'' in 1898, one of her most successful shows. In the 1900s, she starred in a series of long-running hits, including '' Bluebell in Fairyland'' (1901), '' Quality Street'' (1902), '' The Catch of the Season'' (1905) and '' The Beauty of Bath'' (1906). After 1910, Terriss concentrated on comedy roles and

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 ...

tours. Her unsuccessful return to musical comedy, ''Cash on Delivery'' (1917), confirmed the wisdom of this new career course. Her later career also included film roles. She began in the silent films '' Scrooge'' and ''

David Garrick David Garrick (19 February 1716 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, Actor-manager, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil a ...

'' (both from 1913) and made a successful transfer to

talkies A sound film is a Film, motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, bu ...

; her last film was '' The Four Just Men'' in 1939. She died in Hampstead, England, at the age of 100.

Early life

Terriss was born in Port Stanley,

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; ), commonly referred to as The Falklands, is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and from Cape Dub ...

. Her father, William Lewin, became a well-known actor in London under the name William Terriss. He loved the adventurous, outdoor life, and had previously tried his hand at various professions, including farmer, merchant seaman and silver miner. Shortly after Ellaline's birth, he gave up farming and moved his family back to England where, because of his swashbuckling style, was known as "Breezy Bill". Her brother Tom became an actor and then a well-known film director. Her mother Isabel (née Lewis) also acted under the stage name Amy Fellowes.

Early career

Terriss performed from an early age, although she had no real ambition to act professionally. In 1887, she appeared in pantomime at the Alexandra Theatre,

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 ...

. Petite, pretty and talented, she attracted the praise of both critics and the public. She came to the attention of

Herbert Beerbohm Tree Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (17 December 1852 – 2 July 1917) was an English actor and Actor-manager, theatre manager. Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre in the West End theatre, West End, winning ...

, who signed her to make her professional London debut in the role of Mary Herbert in ''Cupid's Messenger'', in 1888 at the

. Impressed by this performance, Charles Wyndham gave her a three-year contract, under which she first played Madge in ''Why Women Weep''. She also attracted the attention of a promising young actor, Seymour Hicks, and they married in 1893. In 1892, Terriss starred in ''Faithful James'', by B. C. Stephenson, with Brandon Thomas at the Court Theatre.Terriss, Ellaline. ''Who Was Who'', A & C Black, 1920–2008; online edition, Oxford University Press, December 2007, accessed 7 January 2012 (subscription required) In December 1893, Terriss starred in the title role in the successful and famously lavish version of the "fairy pantomime" ''Cinderella'', produced by

with music by Oscar Barrett. Toward the end of the run, Hicks took over the role of Thisbe, one of Cinderella's half-sisters. They brought this production to America under the management of George Edwardes. The following season, Terriss played a supporting role in the W. S. Gilbert and Frank Osmond Carr

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 ...

''. In 1895, Terriss was a replacement in the original London production of George Edwardes's hit, ''

'', joining her husband as co-star. They toured America in 1895, where they befriended the American novelist Richard Harding Davis. At the instance of Gilbert, Hicks wrote a drama called ''One of the Best'', a vehicle for Terriss's father William Terriss at the Adelphi Theatre, based on the famous Dreyfus trial. The Hickses were frequent guests of Gilbert at his estate in Grim's Dyke. Terriss next played the title role, May, in ''My Girl'' (1896 at the Gaiety). Another early success for the young couple was ''

'' (1896; Terriss made Lionel Monckton's song, "A Simple Little String" into a major hit).

Tragedy and triumph

Ellaline Terriss in Bluebell in Fairyland

In December 1897, while Terriss was still playing in ''The Circus Girl'', two tragedies befell her. Her father was stabbed to death by a deranged and disgruntled unemployed actor, Richard Archer Prince, as he was about to enter the stage door of the Royal Adelphi Theatre. Her mother died shortly afterwards. The murder, and Prince's trial, filled the country's newspapers for weeks. Already the most popular couple on the London stage, Terriss and Hicks received an outpouring of sympathy. They moved on, becoming even more famous over the next decade. She next starred in the title role of a new show co-authored by Hicks, '' A Runaway Girl'' (1898), which became one of the Gaiety Theatre's most successful shows. This was followed by ''With Flying Colours'' (1899). The couple adopted a daughter, Mabel, in about 1897, and Terriss gave birth to another child, Betty, in 1904. In early 1900, the Hickses played in their only Broadway show together, ''My Daughter-in-law'', at the Frohman brothers' old Lyceum Theatre. They then joined forces with the producer

Charles Frohman Charles Frohman (July 15, 1856 – May 7, 1915) was an American theater manager and producer, who discovered and promoted many stars of the American stage. Frohman produced over 700 shows, and among his biggest hits was '' Peter Pan'', both ...

and, in his company over a period of seven years, they played the leads in a series of musicals written by Hicks, including: '' Bluebell in Fairyland'' (1901), which was continually revived as a Christmas entertainment for the next four decades; '' The Cherry Girl'' (1902); '' The Beauty of Bath'' (1906), which opened the Hicks Theatre (later renamed the Globe) and included additional lyrics by a newcomer,

P. G. Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse ( ; 15 October 1881 – 14 February 1975) was an English writer and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Je ...

, and music by

Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over ...

, which became one of Terriss's best-loved roles; and '' The Gay Gordons'' (1907). Hicks and Terriss also starred in

J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succe ...

's play '' Quality Street'' in 1902. At that time, they moved to a new home, the Old Forge, at

Merstham Merstham is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead in Surrey, England. It lies 17 miles south of Charing Cross just beyond the Greater London border. Part of the North Downs Way runs along the northern boundary of the town. Merstham has ...

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

. Their cul-de-sac was renamed "Quality Street".

Later career

The couple performed constantly, both in London and on tour in America, except when Terriss was pregnant with Betty. In 1905, Terriss took over the role of Angela in her husband's '' The Catch of the Season'', which had been created by Zena Dare during Terriss's pregnancy. Later Terriss ceded the role to Dare's sister, Phyllis. In 1907, Terriss reduced the grueling acting schedule she had kept up for almost twenty years, although she continued to appear in a limited number of plays, including ''The Dashing Little Duke'' (1909; with C. Hayden Coffin, Courtice Pounds and Louie Pounds), which was less successful. She played the title role in that production (a woman disguised as a man). When she missed several performances due to illness, Hicks played the role – possibly the only case in the history of professional musical theatre where a husband succeeded to his wife's role. After the failure of ''Captain Kidd'' (1910), Hicks and Terriss concentrated on comedy roles and

tours, including a tour of South Africa in 1911 and later a tour of France following the outbreak of

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 ...

, to give concerts to British troops at the front. Their unsuccessful return to musical comedy, ''Cash on Delivery'' (1917), confirmed the wisdom of their new career course. After 1917, Terriss returned to the stage only on special occasions. In December 1925, she appeared at the Lyceum with her husband in ''The Man in Dress Clothes'', a French farce he had translated and in which their daughter made her stage debut. It was intended only to run for a short season, but it was such a success that its run was extended. "The Theatre World" reported in January 1926:

Film career

Terriss appeared in over a dozen British films, generally in which her husband was involved as an actor, writer or director. These included the

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 ...

s '' Scrooge'' (1913), ''

'' (1913), ''Flame of Passion'' (1915), ''A Woman of the World'' (1916), ''Masks and Faces'' (1918), ''Always Tell Your Wife'' (1923), '' Land of Hope and Glory'' (1927) and '' Blighty'' (1927)."Terriss, Ellaline"
British Film Institute; accessed 7 January 2012. She made a successful transition to

, including ''Atlantic'' (1929), '' A Man of Mayfair'' (1931), ''Glamour'' (1931), '' The Iron Duke'' (1934), '' Royal Cavalcade'' (1935) and '' The Four Just Men'' (1939).

Retirement and death

In 1940, Terriss and Hicks went to the Middle East with " ENSA", to entertain the British troops in

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 ...

. After the war, Terriss retired from the stage. She and Hicks moved to South Africa, where she took up painting and was tutored by the marine artist George Pilkington. So good were her works that an exhibition was held at Foyle's Art Gallery, London, in February 1959. Hicks, who was knighted in 1935, died in 1949, and Terriss survived him by 22 years. In 1952 she was a guest on ''

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

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 ...

during which she stated that her luxury item would be a piano.Ellaline Terriss
''Desert Island Discs'', BBC, 24 June 1952 She was the subject of an episode of '' This Is Your Life'' in 1962. Terriss died at the Holy Family Nursing Home,

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

, London, at the age of 100 as a result of a hip fracture sustained during a fall.

Genealogy

Notes

References

* Hicks, Seymour. ''Between Ourselves''. London: Cassell 1930 * Hicks, Seymour. ''Hail Fellow, Well Met'' 1949 * Hicks, Seymour. ''Me and My Missus''. London: Cassell 1939 * Hollingshead, John. ''Good Old Gaiety: An Historiette & Remembrance'' (1903) London:Gaity Theatre Co * Terriss, Ellaline. ''Ellaline Terriss By Herself and with Others''. London: Cassell, 1928 * Terriss, Ellaline. ''Just a Little Bit of String''. London: Hutchinson & Co. 1955

External links

Photos, biography and pressPhotos of Terriss
at ''Old Reigate – A Picture History"
"Ellaline Terriss"
at the IMDB
Photos and information about Hicks and Terriss's home at "Quality Street" in Merstham
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Terriss, Ellaline 1871 births 1971 deaths Actresses from London English women singers English film actresses English silent film actresses English stage actresses People associated with Gilbert and Sullivan People from Stanley, Falkland Islands 20th-century English actresses British women centenarians Wives of knights