Marion Terry
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Marion Bessie Terry (born Mary Ann Bessy Terry; 13 October 1853 – 21 August 1930) was an English actress. In a career spanning half a century, she played leading roles in more than 125 plays. Always in the shadow of her older and more famous sister
Ellen Ellen is a female given name, a diminutive of Elizabeth (given name), Elizabeth, Eleanor, Elena, and Helen (given name), Helen. Ellen was the 609th most popular name in the U.S. and the 17th in Sweden in 2004. People named Ellen include: * Elle ...
, Terry nevertheless achieved considerable success in the plays of
W. S. Gilbert Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (18 November 1836 – 29 May 1911) was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his collaboration with composer Arthur Sullivan, which produced fourteen comic operas. The most fam ...
,
Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...
,
Henry James Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...
and others.


Biography

Terry was born in England, into a theatrical family. Her birth name was Mary Ann Bessy Terry, and she was nicknamed "Polly".Booth, Michael R
"Terry, Marion Bessie (1853–1930)"
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press (2004), accessed 7 January 2010
Her parents, Benjamin (1818–1896), of Irish descent, and Sarah (née Ballard) (1819–1892), of Scottish ancestry, were comic actors in a touring company based in
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
Biography of Ellen Terry at the Stage Beauty website
/ref> (where Sarah's father was a Wesleyan minister) and had eleven children. At least five of these became actors:
Kate Kate may refer to: People and fictional characters * Kate (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname * Gyula Káté (born 1982), Hungarian amateur boxer * Lauren Kate (born 1981), American author o ...
,
Ellen Ellen is a female given name, a diminutive of Elizabeth (given name), Elizabeth, Eleanor, Elena, and Helen (given name), Helen. Ellen was the 609th most popular name in the U.S. and the 17th in Sweden in 2004. People named Ellen include: * Elle ...
, Marion, Florence and
Fred Fred or FRED may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Fred ...
. Two other children, George and Charles, were connected with theatre management. Terry's sister Kate was a very successful actress until her marriage and retirement from the stage in 1867, and her sister Ellen became the greatest Shakespearean actress of her time. Her great nephew (Kate's grandson), Sir
John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud ( ; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Britis ...
, became one of the twentieth century's most respected actors. Terry attended a boarding-school for girls at Sunnyside,
Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames, colloquially known as Kingston, is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, England. It is situated on the River Thames, south-west of Charing Cross. It is an ancient market town, notable as ...
, together with her favourite sister, Florence.


Career

Terry's first professional stage appearance was in July 1873 as Ophelia in a production of ''
Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
'' directed by
Tom Taylor Tom Taylor (19 October 1817 – 12 July 1880) was an English dramatist, critic, biographer, public servant, and editor of Punch (magazine), ''Punch'' magazine. Taylor had a brief academic career, holding the professorship of English literatu ...
in Manchester. Her first West End appearance came in October 1873 as Isabelle in a farce by John Maddison Morton, ''A Game of Romps'' at the Olympic Theatre, in the company of Henry Neville. This was followed by the role of Lady Valeria in Morton's ''All that Glitters Is Not Gold'' at the same theatre. In 1874, she was Hero in
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
's ''
Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' (W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. ...
'' at the Olympic. She then played a season at the Strand Theatre, and in 1875 appeared in ''Weak Woman'' by H. J. Byron. Terry next joined the company at the
Haymarket Theatre The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre in Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in ...
and became a protege of
W. S. Gilbert Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (18 November 1836 – 29 May 1911) was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his collaboration with composer Arthur Sullivan, which produced fourteen comic operas. The most fam ...
,Stedman, p. 158 soon appearing in several of his plays, including '' Dan'l Druce, Blacksmith'' (1876) as Dorothy, '' The Palace of Truth'' (1876 revival), '' Pygmalion and Galatea'' (1877 revival) and '' Engaged'' (1877), creating the role of Belinda Treherne with great success. Also during that period, she first appeared in ''The Danischeffs'', adapted by Lord Newry (1876), ''Fame'' by C. M. Rae (1877), ''Charles XII'' by
James Planché James Robinson Planché (27 February 1796 – 30 May 1880) was a British dramatist, antiquary and officer of arms. Over a period of approximately 60 years he wrote, adapted, or collaborated on 176 plays in a wide range of genres including ...
(1877 revival), '' The Vagabond'', by Gilbert (1878), ''Two Orphans'' (1878), ''The Crushed Tragedian'', and ''My Little Girl'' by
Dion Boucicault Dionysius Lardner "Dion" Boucicault (né Boursiquot; 26 December 1820 – 18 September 1890) was an Irish actor and playwright famed for his melodramas. By the later part of the 19th century, Boucicault had become known on both sides of the ...
. In 1879 she moved to the
Prince of Wales's Theatre The Scala Theatre was a theatre in Charlotte Street, London, off Tottenham Court Road. The first theatre on the site opened in 1772; the last was demolished in 1969, after a catastrophic fire. From 1865 to 1882, the theatre was known as th ...
under the management of the Bancrofts and then moved with the company to the Haymarket, performing in revivals of
T. W. Robertson Thomas William Robertson (9 January 1829 – 3 February 1871) was an English dramatist and stage director known for his development of Naturalism (theatre), naturalism in British theatre. Born to a theatrical family, Robertson began as an acto ...
's comedies, including as Blanche Haye in ''Ours'' and Bella in ''School''. In 1879 she also appeared as Mabel in ''Duty'' by James Albert and the title role in '' Gretchen'' by Gilbert. Now an established actress, Terry continued to play leading roles in contemporary plays. She was Bathsheba in the stage adaptation of '' Far from the Madding Crowd'' 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 ...
and J. Comyns Carr (1882). The same year, she starred with Lottie Venne and
Johnston Forbes-Robertson Sir Johnston Forbes-Robertson (16 January 1853 – 6 November 1937)''Sir Johnston Forbes Robertson, Beauty And Grace in Acting'', Obituaries, ''The Times'', 8 November 1937. was an English actor and theatre manager and husband of actress Gertrud ...
in G. W. Godfrey's comedy ''The Parvenu'' at the Court Theatre. She substituted for her sister Ellen, who was ill, as Viola in ''
Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...
'' at the Lyceum Theatre in 1884. In 1885 she played in ''The Magistrate'' by Arthur Wing Pinero. In 1887, she joined the company of
Herbert Beerbohm Tree Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (17 December 1852 – 2 July 1917) was an English actor and Actor-manager, theatre manager. Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre in the West End theatre, West End, winning ...
first at the Comedy Theatre and then at the Haymarket. That year, she also appeared in ''The Ballad-Monger'', by Walter Bessant. In February 1888, she starred in a revival of Gilbert's '' Broken Hearts''. Later that year, she toured the British provinces with
Henry Irving Sir Henry Irving (6 February 1838 – 13 October 1905), christened John Henry Brodribb, sometimes known as J. H. Irving, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility ( ...
in another of her sister Ellen's roles, Margaret in ''Faust''. She played Mrs. Erroll in ''The Real Little Lord Fauntleroy'' (1889),Foulkes, p. 98 appeared in ''Cyrene'' by Alfred C. Calmour (1890), and appeared in 1891 in ''Sunlight and Shadow'' by R. C. Carton. She continued to tour with Irving's Lyceum company in the 1890s, as Rosamund in
Alfred Lord Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (; 6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of ...
's ''Becket'', as Portia in ''
The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...
'' (one of her sister's signature roles), and again as Margaret.


Later years

In 1892 Terry played perhaps her most famous role, Mrs. Erlynne in '' Lady Windermere's Fan'', by
Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...
, at the
St James's Theatre The St James's Theatre was in King Street, St James's, King Street, St James's, London. It opened in 1835 and was demolished in 1957. The theatre was conceived by and built for a popular singer, John Braham (tenor), John Braham; it lost mone ...
. This was followed by Hetty in ''The Cotton King'' by Sutton Vane Sr. (1893). In 1895, she appeared in ''Alabama'' by Augustus Thomas, in the title role in ''Delia Harding'' by J. Comyns Carr, and as Mrs. Peverel in '' Guy Domville'' by
Henry James Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...
. In 1900 she played the roles of Rosalind and Portia at the Stratford festival. She was Nina in ''Forgiveness'' by J. Comyns Carr (1901), the title role in ''Eleanor'' by Mrs. Humphry Ward (1902), Susan Throssell in '' Quality Street'' by
J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succe ...
(1902), and Audrie in ''Michael and His Lost Angel'' by Henry Arthur Jones, among many other engagements. In 1907, Terry performed in a
Royal Command Performance A Royal Command Performance is any performance by actors or musicians that occurs at the direction or request of a reigning monarch of the United Kingdom. Although English monarchs have long sponsored their own theatrical companies and commis ...
of the 1855
Tom Taylor Tom Taylor (19 October 1817 – 12 July 1880) was an English dramatist, critic, biographer, public servant, and editor of Punch (magazine), ''Punch'' magazine. Taylor had a brief academic career, holding the professorship of English literatu ...
play, ''Still Waters Run Deep'', together with Charles Wyndham, before King
Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...
.Gillan, Don
A History of the Royal Command Performance
StageBeauty.net, accessed 16 June 2009
She played Hamlet's mother in a 1908 revival of Gilbert's parody of ''Hamlet'', ''
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are characters in William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Hamlet''. They are childhood friends of Hamlet, summoned by King Claudius to distract the prince from his apparent madness and if possible to ascertain the cause of ...
''. She toured in America and Canada in 1908 and 1909. Her last role was the Principessa della Cercola in ''Our Betters at the Globe'' by Somerset Maugham in 1923, fifty years after her first professional appearance. Suffering from arthritis and other ailments, she retired from the stage. In her last years, Terry lived in
Paddington Paddington is an area in the City of Westminster, in central London, England. A medieval parish then a metropolitan borough of the County of London, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Paddington station, designed b ...
, after having lived for many years at Buckingham Palace Mansions.Obituary, ''The Times'', 22 August 1930 Terry died at her home in 1930, aged 76, of a cerebral haemorrhage and was buried at St Albans cemetery. She never married and, intensely private offstage, nothing is known of her romantic life. She left an estate of more than £12,000.


See also

*
Terry family The Terry family was a British theatrical dynasty of the late 19th century and beyond. The family includes not only those members with the surname Terry, but also Neilsons, Craigs and Gielguds, to whom the Terrys were linked by marriage or blood ...


Notes


References

*Adams, William Davenport
''A Dictionary of the Drama''
Chatto & Windus, 1904 * *Gielgud, John. ''An Actor and His Time'', Sidgwick and Jackson, London, 1979. *Ellen Terry's memoirs, ed. E. Craig and C. St John (New York, 1932) *Foulkes, Richard
''Lewis Carroll and the Victorian Stage''
Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2005 *Hartnoll, Phyllis and Peter Found, ''The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre''. (1992) Oxford University Press *Mullin, D. (ed.) ''Victorian actors and actresses in review: a dictionary of contemporary views of representative British and American actors and actresses'', 1837–1901 (1983) *Parker, J. (ed.) ''Who's Who in the Theatre'', 6th edn (1930) *Pemberton, Thomas Edgar. ''Ellen Terry and her sisters'', London: C. Arthur Pearson, Ltd (1902) * *Steen, M. ''A pride of Terrys'' (1962)


External links


Marion Terry
at 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 ...

Several portraits of Marion Terry1880 photo of Marion Terry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Terry, Marion English stage actresses 19th-century English actresses Women of the Victorian era 1852 births 1930 deaths People associated with Gilbert and Sullivan Terry family