May Waldron (born Mary Dougherty, November 1, 1861 or 1868 – December 22, 1924), and later known as May Waldron Robson, was a Canadian-born American actress.

Early life

Mary Waldron Dougherty was born in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

, the daughter of William E. Dougherty, a newspaper publisher; she was raised in Chicago. Her mother was an actress. May Waldron also lived in Buffalo, New York in her youth.

Career

May Waldron began her career in Chicago, in operettas including ''

H.M.S. Pinafore ''H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London on 25 May 1878, and ran for 571 performances, w ...

'' and ''

The Pirates of Penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 3 ...

''. Waldron's Broadway appearances included roles in ''Billy'' (1909), '' The Country Boy'' (1910–1911), '' The Woman Haters'' (1912), ''Cousin Lucy'' (1915), ''

Ladies' Night A ladies' night is a promotional event, often at a bar or nightclub, where female patrons pay less than male patrons for the cover charge or alcoholic beverages. In the United States, state courts in California, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Wisco ...

'' (1920–1921), and ''Better Times'' (1922–1923). She also appeared in touring productions of ''

The Merry Wives of Windsor ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' or ''Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a ref ...

'' and ''

She Stoops to Conquer ''She Stoops to Conquer'' is a comedy by Irish writer Oliver Goldsmith, first performed in London in 1773. The play is a favourite for study by English literature and theatre classes in the English-speaking world. It is one of the few plays ...

'', and in different roles in ''The Henrietta'' (1887), in its original run and in its 1901–1902 revival. Her ten film credits came in the silent films ''Vaccinating the Village'' (1914), ''Lured from Squash Center'' (1914), ''The Precious Twins'' (1914), ''At the Cross Roads'' (1914), '' The Trail of the Lonesome Pine'' (1916), ''The Gates of Gladness'' (1918), '' The Prodigal Wife'' (1918), '' The Lost Battalion'' (1919), ''His Bridal Night'' (1919), and ''A Broadway Saint'' (1919). Waldron's weight was a matter of public comment. She was often described as "buxom", or "stout". She fasted for a month to lose weight for a part in 1889; one report compared Waldron to a circus performer and went into detail about her "reducing herself from a mountain of quivering adipose to a lithe, graceful figure, scarcely heavier than the average able bodied woman."

Personal life

Waldron married actor

Stuart Robson Stuart Robson may refer to: * Stuart Robson (actor) * Stuart Robson (speedway rider) See also

* Stewart Robson, former professional footballer {{disambiguation ...

in 1891; she was widowed when he died in 1903. The two had a son together, Stuart Robson Jr. Waldron, who died suddenly from a stroke in 1924 in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

, aged near 60 years.

References

External links

* *
A photograph of May Waldron
in MacCauley's Theatre Collection,

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public university, public research university in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. Chartered in 1798 as the Jefferson Seminary, it became in the 19t ...

Photographic Archives. {{DEFAULTSORT:Waldron, May 1860s births 1924 deaths Canadian stage actresses Actresses from Hamilton, Ontario