Ethel Maude Warwick (13 October 1882 – 12 September 1951) was a British

stage actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

, appearing in both plays and films. Warwick was also a model for several artists, prominently for John William Godward.

Biography

Early years

Ethel Maude Warwick was a daughter of Frank and Maude Warwick, and was born in

Hardingstone Hardingstone is a village in Northamptonshire, England. It is on the southern edge of Northampton, and now forms a suburb of the town. It is about from the town centre. The Newport Pagnell road (the B526, formerly part of the A50) separates ...

, Northampton, on 13 October 1882. Her education began in

Margate Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Thanet District of Kent, England. It is located on the north coast of Kent and covers an area of long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and W ...

and

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 ...

, but by the early 1890s she was studying to become an artist at the London Polytechnic. Ethel became an artists model to help pay for her tuition at the London Polytechnic, which led to her meeting Herbert Draper; Draper used her as a model for several of his paintings, including '' The Lament for Icarus''. Through him she became a favoured model for several artists, including John William Godward and

Linley Sambourne Edward Linley Sambourne (4 January 18443 August 1910) was an English cartoonist and illustrator most famous for being a draughtsman for the satirical magazine '' Punch'' for more than forty years and rising to the position of "First Cartoonist" ...

, for whom she posed nude in a series of photographic studies. She was also sketched by

James McNeill Whistler James Abbott McNeill Whistler (; July 10, 1834July 17, 1903) was an American painter in oils and watercolor, and printmaker, active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom. He eschewed sentimentality and moral a ...

Acting career

Despite training to become an artist, Warwick instead began to take part in acting lessons at

Henry Neville Henry Neville or Nevile may refer to: * Henry Neville (died c.1415), MP for Leicestershire *Henry Neville, 5th Earl of Westmorland (1525–1564), English peer *Henry Neville (Gentleman of the Privy Chamber) (c. 1520–1593) * Henry Neville (died 1 ...

’s acting school during the late 1890s, and in July 1900 she made her debut by starring in ''The Corsican Brothers'' as Emilie de L'Esparre at the Grande Theatre, in

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

. Though still an artists model, Warwick continued to pose for many studies, photographs and portraits. During this time, she was most notably posing for Herbert Draper. However, on 24 March 1906, Warwick married Edmund Waller, and therefore discontinued her modelling. Edmund and Ethel had stage ''grandeur'' at the time of their marriage, and embarked on a worldwide tour together—in 1910 did they arrive at

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 ...

. Whilst living at London they took management over the Queen's Theatre. Ethel_Warwick_by_Reautlinger

In 1915 Warwick and Waller divorced, which, upon Ethel’s extravagant lifestyle, caused her to go bankrupt in 1923. Warwick still acted after this, and was well-known at the New Shakespeare Theatre in

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon ( ), commonly known as Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon (district), Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of Engl ...

Death

Ethel died in a Bognor Regis nursing home on 12 September 1951, presumably due to lung cancer.

Selected filmography

* '' The Magistrate'' (1921) * ''

Keepers of Youth ''Keepers of Youth'' is a 1932 British drama film directed by Thomas Bentley and starring Garry Marsh, Ann Todd and Robin Irvine. It was based on the 1929 play ''Keepers of Youth'' by Arnold Ridley, and marked the film debut of Ann Todd. It was ...

'' (1931) * '' Bachelor's Baby'' (1932) * ''

Letting in the Sunshine ''Letting in the Sunshine'' is a 1933 British comedy crime film directed by Lupino Lane and starring Albert Burdon, Renee Gadd and Molly Lamont. It was based on a story by Anthony Asquith.Sutton p.218 The film was made by British International ...

'' (1933) * ''

The Man Outside ''The Man Outside'' (, literally ''Outside, at the door'') is a play by Wolfgang Borchert, written in a few days in the late autumn of 1946. It made its debut on German radio on 13 February 1947. ''The Man Outside'' describes the hopelessness ...

'' (1933)

Appearances in art

File:Ethel (2).jpg, ''Ethel'', a sketch by

Herbert James Draper Herbert James Draper ( – ) was an English Neoclassicist painter whose career began in the Victorian era and extended through the first two decades of the 20th century. Life Born in Covent Garden, London, the seventh child and only son of a ...

File:Philip-Wilson-Steer-Hydrangeas.jpg, ''Hydrangeas''. Oil on Canvas by

Philip Wilson Steer Philip Wilson Steer (28 December 1860 – 18 March 1942) was a British painter of landscapes, seascapes plus portraits and figure studies. He was also an influential art teacher. His sea and landscape paintings made him a leading figure in ...

, ca. 1901 File:Study of miss Ethel Warwick, by John William Godward.jpg, ''Study of Miss Ethel Warwick''. Oil on canvas by John William Godward, ca. 1898 File:Ethel Warwick Asleep on a Sofa.jpg, ''Ethel Warwick asleep on a sofa''. Sketch by

James Abbott McNeill Whistler James Abbott McNeill Whistler (; July 10, 1834July 17, 1903) was an American painter in oils and watercolor, and printmaker, active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom. He eschewed sentimentality and moral a ...

, from 1900 File:Ethel Warwick (1).jpg, ''Study of Miss Ethel Warwick''. Photograph by

, ca. 1900 File:Ethel Warwick.jpg, Promotional photograph, ca. 1900

References

Bibliography

* Low, Rachael. ''The History of British Film The History of the British Film 1914 - 1918''. Routledge, 2013.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Warwick, Ethel 1882 births 1951 deaths British stage actresses British film actresses Actresses from London Actresses from Northampton