Marie George (born Clara Marie Georg; 25 June 1876 – 15 July 1955) was an American actress, singer and stage beauty who had a successful career first in New York City and later in London, England during the

Edwardian era In the United Kingdom, the Edwardian era was a period in the early 20th century that spanned the reign of King Edward VII from 1901 to 1910. It is commonly extended to the start of the First World War in 1914, during the early reign of King Ge ...

Early life

Marie George was born in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

in 25 June 1876 as Clara Marie Georg to German-American parents. On going on the stage she adopted the anglicized version of her surname.

Stage career

On moving with her husband to London she played Dolly Twinkle in ''

The Casino Girl ''The Casino Girl'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts with music by Ludwig Engländer, Will Marion Cook, Will Accooe, Harry Truman MacConnell and Arthur Nevin, lyrics by Engländer, Cook and MacConnell, and a book by Harry B. Smith and ...

'' at the

Shaftesbury Theatre The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden. It opened in 1911 as the New Prince's Theatre, with a capacity of 2,500. The current capacity is 1,416. The title "Shaftesbury Theat ...

(1900), was in the American

musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

The Belle of Bohemia ''The Belle of Bohemia'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts with music by Ludwig Engländer and Harry Truman MacConnell and lyrics and musical book by Harry B. Smith. The musical opened on Broadway theatre, Broadway in 1900 before having ...

'' at the

Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre is a listed building, Grade II listed West End theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.

(1901) and played Cornelia in '' The White Chrysanthemum'' at the

Criterion Theatre The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre at Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has a seating capacity of 588. Building the theatre In 1870, the caterers Spiers and Pond began developmen ...

(1905). For a number of years she was a regular in the annual

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

at the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and listed building, Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) an ...

including: Gretchen in ''Mother Goose'' (1902) opposite

Dan Leno George Wild Galvin (20 December 1860 – 31 October 1904), better known by the stage name Dan Leno, was a leading English music hall comedian and musical theatre actor during the late Victorian era. He was best known, aside from his music hall a ...

; Principal Girl in ''Humpty Dumpty'' (1903) during which she was taken ill and was replaced by

Mabel Love Mabel Love (16 October 1874 – 15 May 1953), was a British dancer and stage actress. She was considered to be one of the great stage beauties of her age, and her career spanned the late Victorian era and the Edwardian period. In 1894, Winston ...

; Cupid in ''The White Cat'' (1904)); Ruby in ''Sinbad'' (1906); Cissie in ''Babes in the Wood'' (1907);Marie George - Footlight Notes website
/ref> and Katrina in ''Dick Whittington'' (1908); and the title role in ''Aladdin'' (1909). George appeared as Poll Merrie in ''Lady Tatters'' opposite

Courtice Pounds Charles Courtice Pounds (30 May 1861 Gänzl, Kurt"Pounds of Pyes, or mea culpa No. 2" Kurt Gänzl's blog, 4 May 2018. Note that hibirth registrationis in central London in the third quarter of 1861 – 21 December 1927), better known by the sta ...

and

Walter Passmore Walter Henry Passmore (10 May 1867 – 29 August 1946) was an English singer and actor best known as the first successor to George Grossmith in the comic baritone roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. Passm ...

at the

(1907) and played Mariza opposite Passmore in ''

Baron Trenck ''Baron Trenck'' is a comic opera in three acts loosely based on the life of Baron Franz von der Trenck. The original German-language work was composed by Felix Albini to a libretto by Alfred Maria Willner and Robert Bodanzky and premiered at ...

'' at the Strand Theatre (1911). In 1912 she played the title role in a British tour of the

''The Boy Scout'' with C. Hayden Coffin and in 1915 was Mrs. Pineapple in the first revival of ''

A Chinese Honeymoon ''A Chinese Honeymoon'' is a musical comedy in two acts by George Dance, with music by Howard Talbot and additional music by Ivan Caryll and others, and additional lyrics by Harry Greenbank and others. One song that originated in the show w ...

'' at the

Prince of Wales Theatre The Prince of Wales Theatre is a West End theatre in Coventry Street, near Leicester Square in London. It was established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937, and extensively refurbished in 2004 by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, its current owner. The theatre ...

. In July 1911 Marie George was accompanied by

Herbert Sparling Herbert Sparling (1864–1944) was a British comedy and musical theatre actor and director. In 1889 Sparling was sued for breach of contract at Brompton County Court by the "dramatic author" Henry Plunkett Gratton (1808–1889), who alleged ...

in a performance at

Brighton Palace Pier The Brighton Palace Pier, commonly known as Brighton Pier or the Palace Pier, is a Grade II* listed pleasure pier in Brighton, England, located in the city centre opposite the Old Steine. Established in 1899, it was the third pier to be con ...

, where:

‘Marie George gives the audience twenty minutes of sparkling fun, and makes them regret very much the powers that be which prevent her continuing her part for double that period. She is delightful in her songs, “That’s a Cinch,” and “Over again.” She is most ably assisted by Mr. Herbert Sparling, whose make-up as a pianoforte turner and acting throughout is wonderfully clever.’Brighton & Hove Society, Brighton, Sussex, Thursday, 12 July 1911, p. 4482b

Personal life

Marie was married to the American theatrical manager Norman J. Norman.Marie George (1877-1975) - Stage Beauty website
/ref> She died in London in 15 July 1955, aged 79.

References

External links

Photographs of Marie George (1879-1955), Actress
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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 ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:George, Marie 1876 births 1955 deaths Actresses from New York (state) 20th-century American actresses American stage actresses American musical theatre actresses 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers