Ellen Kean (12 December 1805 – 20 August 1880) was an English actress. She was known as Ellen Tree until her marriage in 1842, after which she was known both privately and professionally as Mrs Charles Kean and always appeared in productions together with her husband.

Biography

Early years

Ellen Kean was born Eleanora Tree, the third of four daughters of Cornelius Tree, an official of the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

in London. Her three sisters became actresses, but, unlike Ellen, retired from the stage when they married. Her professional stage debut was in a musical version of ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...

'' in London in 1822 as Olivia alongside her sister

Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...

as Viola.Wilson, M. Glen
"Kean, Eleanora (1805–1880)"
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, September 2004; online edition, January 2008, accessed 25 May 2009. She gained experience touring in the provinces, and from 1826 was a regular member of the companies at the

Drury Lane Drury Lane is a street on the boundary between the Covent Garden and Holborn areas of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of London Borough of Camden, Camden and the southern part in the City o ...

and

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 ...

s, making a success in ''The Wonder'' and ''The Youthful Queen''.''The Times'' obituary notice, 24 January 1868, p. 7 At

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

she took on the roles of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's Romeo to the Juliet of

Fanny Kemble Frances Anne Kemble (later Butler; 27 November 180915 January 1893) was a British actress from a Kemble family, theatre family in the early and mid-nineteenth century. She was a well-known and popular writer and abolitionist whose published wor ...

, Françoise de Foix in '' Francis the First'', and Lady Townley in ''

The Provoked Husband ''The Provoked Husband'' is a 1728 comedy play by the British writer and actor Colley Cibber, based on a fragment of play written by John Vanbrugh. It is also known by the longer title ''The Provok'd Husband: or, a Journey to London''. Vanbrugh ...

''.

Leading lady

In 1832, by now established as a leading actress, Tree accepted an engagement in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

, Germany, where a junior member of the company was

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 ...

. He had made an undistinguished debut at Drury Lane in 1827, and he and Tree had acted together in 1828 in a play called ''Lovers' Vows'' and later in ''

Othello ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'', often shortened to ''Othello'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulat ...

''. In the German season they fell in love, but were persuaded by family and friends not to marry in haste. Tree returned to London and resumed her successful West End career, including a considerable success in ''

Ion An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by convent ...

'' in another

breeches role In theater, a breeches role or breeches part (also pants role, pants part, trouser role, trouser part, and Hosenrolle) is a role in which a female actor performs in male clothing. Breeches, tight-fitting knee-length pants, were a standard male ...

. At the end of 1836, Tree went to America, where she toured in Shakespeare for more than three years, playing heroines such as Rosalind, Viola and Beatrice, among other roles. By the time of her return to England in 1839, she had made a profit of £12,000 on the tour, equivalent to at least £1 million in modern terms. By 1841 Charles Kean had established himself as a successful actor, and he and Tree appeared together in ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

'' at the Haymarket Theatre. They were married the next year, and she at once switched her professional name from Ellen Tree to Mrs Charles Kean. For the next nine years they appeared together at the Haymarket, completing a tour of

William Shaftoe Robertson William Shaftoe Robertson (c. 1799–1872) was a British actor and Actor-manager, theatre manager. He was the nephew of Fanny Robertson, manager of the Lincoln theatre circuit, and her husband Thomas Shaftoe Robertson. As a young man, he began ...

's Lincoln Circuit in 1845, where she gave 'an exquisite impersonation' of Miss Halley in ''The Stranger'', and in ''

The Honey Moon ''The Honey Moon'' is a play by John Tobin. It was influenced by Shakespeare’s ''Taming of the Shrew'' and performed throughout the 19th century. History The first performance of the play was at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, on 31 January 18 ...

'' she was described as 'perfectly inimitable'; they attracted profitable houses before making a joint visit to the U.S. in 1846. In 1850, Kean took over the management of the Princess's Theatre in London. ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' called this "the most important period of Mrs Kean's career.... Hitherto she had been the Rosalind and the Viola of the stage; henceforward her name was to be associated with characters of a more matronly type" in roles including Lady Macbeth and Gertrude in ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

''. The same writer also credited her for "the good taste and artistic completeness" of Kean's productions.

Ellen Terry Dame Alice Ellen Terry (27 February 184721 July 1928) was a leading English actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born into a family of actors, Terry began performing as a child, acting in Shakespeare plays in London, and toured ...

, who made her first stage appearance as the boy Mamillius in ''

The Winter's Tale ''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some criti ...

'', remembered Kean "as Hermione wearing a Greek wreath round her head and a crinoline with many layers of petticoats."Gielgud, p. 25

Last years

Charles Kean died in 1868, and his widow retired from the stage, living quietly in

Bayswater Bayswater is an area in the City of Westminster in West London. It is a built-up district with a population density of 17,500 per square kilometre, and is located between Kensington Gardens to the south, Paddington to the north-east, and ...

, in the

City of Westminster The City of Westminster is a London borough with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in Greater London, England. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It contains a large par ...

, where she died, aged 73. ''The Times'' in its obituary said, "Mrs Kean is not to be numbered with the greatest votaries of the English stage, but her acting was distinguished by considerable power, tenderness and refinement." She was buried in a vault alongside her husband at

Catherington Catherington is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Horndean, in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 1 mile (1.8 km) northwest of Horndean. The village is also close to Cowplain and Clanfield, Hampsh ...

, Hampshire.

Selected roles

* Georgiana in '' Forget and Forgive'' by James Kenney (1827) * Blanche of Bourbon in '' Don Pedro, King of Castile'' by Lord Porchester (1828) * Francois de Foix in '' Francis the First'' by

(1832) * Mariana in '' The Wife'' by

James Sheridan Knowles James Sheridan Knowles (12 May 1784 – 30 November 1862) was an Irish dramatist and actor. A relative of Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Knowles enjoyed success writing plays for the leading West End theatres. Later in his career he also produced ...

(1833) * Myrrha in ''

Sardanapalus According to the Greek writer Ctesias, Sardanapalus ( ; ), sometimes spelled Sardanapallus (), was the last king of Assyria, although in fact Aššur-uballiṭ II (612–605 BC) holds that distinction. Ctesias' book ''Persica'' is lost, but we ...

'' by

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...

(1834) * Christine in '' The Minister and the Mercer'' by

Alfred Bunn Alfred Bunn (8 April 1796 in London20 December 1860 in Boulogne-sur-Mer) was an English theatrical manager. He married Margaret Somerville, a minor actress, in 1819. Biography Bunn was appointed stage manager of Drury Lane Theatre, London, in ...

(1834) * Clemanthe in ''

'' by Thomas Talfourd (1836) * Constance in '' The Provost of Bruges'' by George William Lovell (1836) * Louise de la Vallière in '' The Duchess de la Vallière'' by

Edward Bulwer-Lytton Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton (; 25 May 1803 – 18 January 1873) was an English writer and politician. He served as a Whig member of Parliament from 1831 to 1841 and a Conservative from 1851 to 1866. He was Secr ...

(1837) * Countess in ''

Love Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...

'' by

(1839) * Olivia in '' The Rose of Arragon'' by

(1842) * Lady Eveline Amyott in '' The Wife's Secret'' by George William Lovell (1846) * Katharine Lorn in '' Strathmore'' by

John Westland Marston John Westland Marston (30 January 1819 – 5 January 1890) was an English dramatist and critic. Early Life and Career He was born at Boston, Lincolnshire, on 30 January 1819, was son of the Rev. Stephen Marston, minister of a Baptist congrega ...

(1849) * Anne Blake in ''

Anne Blake ''Anne Blake'' is an 1852 melodrama by the British writer John Westland Marston. Tuker p.371 It premiered at the Princess's Theatre in London on 28 October 1852. The original cast included Charles Kean as Thorold, Walter Lacy as Llaniston, El ...

'' by

(1852)

Notes

References

*Gielgud, John. ''An Actor and His Time'', London: Sidgwick and Jackson, 1979.
Victoria's Victoria: The Theatre Royal
*''Emigrant in Motley: The Journey of Charles and Ellen Kean in Quest of a Theatrical Fortune in Australia and America, as told in their hitherto unpublished letters'', edited by J. M. D. Hardwick (1954).

External links

Theater Arts Manuscripts:
An Inventory of the Collection at the

Harry Ransom Center The Harry Ransom Center, known as the Humanities Research Center until 1983, is an archive, library, and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kean, Ellen English stage actresses 19th-century English actresses 1805 births 1880 deaths Actors from the City of Westminster