Marie Burroughs (born Lillie Arrington; September 26, 1866 – March 4, 1926) was an American stage actress in the late 19th century. She played prominent roles in many plays, although she never became a first-tier star.

Career

Burroughs was born in

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

(14 April 1901)
Miss Marie Burroughs to Wed a New Yorkers
''San Francisco Call'' in 1866, and raised in San Francisco. By age 17, her promise as an actor was noted by actor Lawrence Barrett, and earned her an invitation to appear in '' The Rajah'' at the Madison Square Theatre in New York. She made her Broadway debut in 1884 and assumed her stage name. She was an immediate success, but her acting skills were still raw and it was said that her good looks carried her at first. Actor Louis Massen became her acting coach, and soon after her first husband.Our Gallery of Players: Marie Burroughts
'' The Illustrated American'', p. 42 (November 21, 1891)Marie Burroughs
''

Lippincott's Monthly Magazine ''Lippincott's Monthly Magazine'' was a 19th-century literary magazine published in Philadelphia from 1868 to 1915, when it relocated to New York to become ''Robert M. McBride, McBride's Magazine''. It merged with ''Scribner's Magazine'' in 1916. ...

'' pp. 363-64 (March 1893) She had roles in many plays through the 1880s and 1890s, including in a number of plays supporting English actor Edward Smith Willard. She retired from the stage in 1901.The New International Encyclopaedia, Vol 3
p. 711 (1906)Browne, Walter & E. De Roy Koch (eds.
Who's who on the Stage 1908
p. 63 (B.W. Dodge & Company 1908) Writer

Willa Cather Willa Sibert Cather (; born Wilella Sibert Cather; December 7, 1873 – April 24, 1947) was an American writer known for her novels of life on the Great Plains, including ''O Pioneers!'', ''The Song of the Lark (novel), The Song of the Lark'', a ...

described Burroughs in 1895 as "not a very great actress, but she is great enough to be allowed to do her best unhindered." Similarly, the ''

Illustrated American ''The Illustrated American'' was a weekly American periodical published from 1890 until 1900. It primarily covered current events (with illustrations), but also contained other miscellaneous content and some fiction.

'' said "that she will ever rank among the greatest actresses of the world, not even her most devoted admirers can expect, but she is so painstaking and so devoted to her profession that with each succeeding season she shows some improvement in her art."Gallery of Players from The Illustrated American
No. 6, p. 16 (1895) In 1894, Burroughs' popularity was such that she was the vehicle for a volume of actor photographs called ''The Marie Burroughs Art Portfolio of Stage Celebrities'', published by A.N. Marquis & Company.(6 May 1894)
Genius, Art, Beauty. Wonderful Collection of Portraits of Celebrated Actors and Actresses
''The Anaconda Standard''(8 April 1894)
A Great and Artistic Offer (advertisement)
''The Salt Lake Herald''

Personal life

As a celebrity of her day, Burroughs' personal life drew public attention.Curtin, William M. (ed.
The World and the Parish: Willa Cather's Articles and Reviews (1893-1902)
pp. 193-94 (1970)(20 March 1895)
Marie is Suing for a Divorce
''San Francisco Call'', p. 7, col. 4. Her first husband, Louis F. Massen, was also her acting instructor who she met in ''The Rajah''; they divorced in 1895.(21 March 1895)
Marie Burroughs's Divorce Suit: She Would Never Have Begun It Had She Realized The Scandal
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''(30 August 1895)
Divorce for Marie Burroughs
''

'' In 1899, her engagement to Dr. Albert E. Sterne was announced, but their planned December 1899 was postponed due to illness on her part, and the engagement later ended. In 1901, she married Robert Barclay Macpherson, who died in 1907. In 1908, she married Francis M. Livingston.(19 March 1908)
Marie Burroughs to Wed. The Actress is to Marry Francis M. Livingston on April 8
''

''The Marie Burroughs Art Portfolio of Stage Celebrities
(1894)Leonard, John William (ed.
Woman's Who Who of America (1914-1915)
p. 149 (1914) Burroughs died in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...

, on March 4, 1926.The Stage Year Book
p. 233 (1927)

Selected appearances

* '' The Rajah'' as Gladys (1884) * ''Alpine Roses'' as Irma (1884) * '' Hazel Kirke'' * ''Esmeralda'' * ''After the Ball'' * ''Mrs. Winthrop'' * ''Called Back'' * ''Elaine'' (1887) as Queen Guinevere * ''Saints and Sinners'' * ''The Middleman'' as Mary Blenkarn * ''Judah'' as Vashti Dethic (supporting Edward Smith Willard) * ''Wealth'' as Edith Ruddock * '' John Needham's Double'' (1891) as Kate Norbury * ''The Professor's Love Story'' as Lucy * ''The Profligate'' * '' The Battle of the Strong'' (1900) as Guida Landresse

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Burroughs, Marie 1866 births 1926 deaths 19th-century American actresses American stage actresses Actresses from San Francisco