Esme Beringer (5 September 1875 – 31 March 1972) was an English actress who was noted for her fencing skills.

Early life

Esme Beringer was born in

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 ...

, the daughter of pianist

Oscar Beringer Oscar Beringer (14 July 1844 – 21 February 1922) was an English pianist and teacher of German descent. Beringer was born in Furtwangen im Schwarzwald, Furtwangen in the Black Forest, but by 1849 he had moved to London when his father becam ...

and novelist and playwright

Aimée Daniell Beringer Aimée Daniell Beringer (1856 – February 17, 1936) billed professionally as Mrs. Oscar Beringer, was an American-born playwright, theatrical manager, novelist, and commentator, based in London. Early life Aimée Daniell was born in Philadelp ...

.Johnson Briscoe
"September 5: Esme Beringer"
''The Actor's Birthday Book'' (Moffat, Yard 1907): 200. Her younger sister

Vera Beringer Vera Beringer (2 March 1878 – 29 January 1964) was a British actress and writer. As a child she became well known for playing Little Lord Fauntleroy on the London stage. Later she was a playwright, sometimes using the byline Henry Seton. Ear ...

was best known as a child actress."Vera Beringer"
''The Era Annual'' (1897): 29. Her brother Guy Beringer was a journalist; he is credited with coining the word "brunch" in 1895.

Career

Esme Beringer first appeared on stage in 1888, as a boy character, Dick Tipton, in ''Little Lord Fauntleroy'' (she also substituted for the title character, usually played by her sister). By 1893 she was very active on the London stage. Beringer's athletic physique and extensive training with swords made her well-suited to breeches roles, as when she played

Romeo Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Characters in Romeo and Juliet#Lord Montague, Lord Montague and his wife, Characters in Romeo and Juliet#Lady Montague, Lady Montague, he ...

in 1896 (opposite her sister Vera as

Juliet Juliet Capulet () is the female protagonist in William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. A 13-year-old girl, Juliet is the only daughter of the patriarch of the House of Capulet. She falls in love with the male protagonist Ro ...

). Other stage appearances by Beringer included ''The Prince and the Pauper'' (1890), ''Foreign Policy'' (1893, by

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Hol ...

), ''Bud and Blossom'' (1893, by

Gertrude Elizabeth Blood Gertrude Elizabeth, Lady Colin Campbell (''née'' Blood; 3 May 1857 – 1 November 1911) was an Irish-born journalist, author, playwright, and editor. She was married to Lord Colin Campbell, a brother-in-law of Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyl ...

), ''Three Wayfarers'' (1893, by

Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Literary realism, Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry ...

), ''Bess'' (1893), ''Hypatia'' (1893), ''The Gentleman Whip'', ''The New Boy'', ''Loyal'', ''Hal the Highwayman'', ''The Lady's Idol'', ''The Strange Adventures of Miss Brown'', ''The Benefit of the Doubt'', ''The Late Mr. Castello'', ''Gossip'' (1896), ''A Mother of Three'', ''Woman's World'', ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ''The Last of his Race'', ''The Winter's Tale'', ''Saviolo'' (1899, by

Egerton Castle __NOTOC__ Egerton Smith Castle F.S.A. (12 March 1858 – 16 September 1920) was an author, antiquarian, and swordsman, and an early practitioner of reconstructed historical fencing, frequently in collaboration with his colleague Captain Alfred ...

), ''The Trifler'' (1905), ''The Anarchist'' (1908), ''The Blue Stockings'' (1913), and ''Lucky Jim'' (1916). She also performed 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 ...

, in ''The Point of the Sword''. Beringer was an enthusiastic fencer who studied historical swordplay with

Alfred Hutton Alfred Hutton Society of Antiquaries of London, FSA (10 March 1839 – 18 December 1910) was a British Army officer, antiquarian and writer. Serving during the Victorian era in the 1st King's Dragoon Guards, he played a major role in the revival ...

as well as his colleague

and was likely a member of the

Bartitsu Bartitsu is an wikt:eclectic, eclectic martial art and self-defence method originally developed in England in 1898–1902, combining elements of boxing, jujitsu, cane-fighting, and French kickboxing (savate). In 1903, it was immortalised (as "bar ...

Club. She participated in a number of historical fencing lectures and displays during the 1890s and early 1900s and also taught classes for the "Actresses' Foil Club" 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 ...

. After the war, she starred in more Shakespearean roles, including "Constance" in '' King John'' (1925) opposite Henry Baynton.Advertisement
''The Manchester Guardian'' (September 23, 1925): 1. via

Newspapers.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. It is owned by The ...

Esme Beringer's film appearances included ''All the World's a Stage'' (1917), ''

The October Man ''The October Man'' is a 1947 mystery film/film noir starring John Mills and Joan Greenwood, written by novelist Eric Ambler, who also produced. A man is suspected of murder, and the lingering effects of a brain injury he sustained in an earli ...

'' (1947), '' Something in the City'' (1950), and '' Castle in the Air'' (1952). She also made some early television appearances, in ''Craven House'' (1950), and ''The Monster of Killoon'' (1952, by

Geoffrey Kerr Geoffrey Kerr (born Geoffrey Kemble Grinham Keen; 26 January 1895 – 1 July 1971) was a British stage and film actor and writer during the middle of the 20th century. Early life Geoffrey Kemble Grinham Keen was born on 26 January 1895, in Lon ...

Personal life

Esme Beringer died in 1972, aged 96 years.

References

External links

*
Esme Beringer's filmography at BFI

Three photographs of Esme Beringer
are in the collection of the

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 ...

.
A cigarette card featuring Esme Beringer
from the New York Public Library Digital Collections. {{DEFAULTSORT:Beringer, Esme 1875 births 1972 deaths 19th-century English actresses 20th-century English actresses Actresses from London English fencers English people of German descent