Leah Madeleine "Madge" Elliott (12 May 1896 – 8 August 1955) was a UK-born Australian dancer and actor who was the wife and stage partner of

Cyril Ritchard Cyril Joseph Trimnell-Ritchard (1 December 1898 – 18 December 1977), known professionally as Cyril Ritchard, was an Australian stage, screen and television actor, and director. He is best remembered today for his performance as Captain Hook i ...

Life

Elliott was born 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 ...

, London, in 1896. Her family emigrated to Australia while she was a young child. Her mother, Frances Selina Curtis ( Heighton), and her father, Nicholas Phillipps Elliott, lived in

Toowoomba Toowoomba ( ), nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar', is a city on the border of South East Queensland and Darling Downs regions of Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital, Brisbane. The urban population of Toowoom ...

, Queensland, where her father was a surgeon. She was educated at a local grammar school. After Elliott's family had moved to Sydney, she was trained as a dancer by Minnie Hooper. She was a member of the children's ballet at the Melba-Williamson Opera Company by 1911. Hooper tried to partner Elliott with

, a handsome actor, but Elliott thought Ritchard's dancing too poor for him to be an appropriate colleague. Nevertheless, they did subsequently form a duo, "Madge and Cyril", and went on a tour of New Zealand. In 1918, they appeared together in ''

Yes, Uncle! ''Yes, Uncle!'' is a musical theatre, musical comedy with a book by Austen Hurgon and George Arthurs, music by Nat D. Ayer and lyrics by Clifford Grey. The story is based on the farce ''Le truc du Brésilien'' by Nicolas Nancey and Paul Armont, an ...

'' and '' Going Up'', but then briefly pursued their careers independently. Ritchard worked in New York, where he shared an apartment with

Walter Pidgeon Walter Davis Pidgeon (September 23, 1897 – September 25, 1984) was a Canadian-American actor. A major leading man during the Golden Age of Hollywood, known for his "portrayals of men who prove both sturdy and wise," Pidgeon earned two Academy ...

, while Elliott relocated to London, making her West End debut in 1925. When they resumed their partnership, it was in London where they reunited: in 1927, Laddie Cliff booked them to star in ''Lady Luck'' at the

Carlton Theatre The Carlton Theatre was a West End of London, London West End dual-purpose theatre-cum-cinema built in 1927 for Adolph Zukor's Paramount Pictures. It continued in use as a cinema as the Empire Haymarket until its closure in May 2023. It was ...

. Elliott and Ritchard returned to Australia in 1932. They appeared together in several successful musical productions, notably ''Blue Roses''. Elliott and Ritchard married at

St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney The Cathedral Church and Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Mother of God, Help of Christians, locally known as Saint Mary's Cathedral, is a Catholic basilica and the seat of the Archdiocese of Sydney. The cathedral is dedicated to the Blessed Vi ...

, on 16 September 1935. There were said to be five thousand onlookers at the wedding, with Elliott's four-yard veil attracting especial attention. Elliott died of bone cancer in

Lenox Hill Hospital Lenox Hill Hospital (LHH) is a nationally ranked 450 bed non-profit, Tertiary care, tertiary, research and academic medical center located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, servicing the tri-state area. LHH is one of the reg ...

, New York City, in 1955.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elliott, Leah Madeleine (Madge) 1896 births 1955 deaths British emigrants to Australia Actresses from Sydney 20th-century Australian dancers 20th-century Australian women