Nelson Wheatcroft (February 15, 1852 – March 3, 1897) was an English-born actor and drama teacher. He ran a famous drama school at the
Charles Frohman
Charles Frohman (July 15, 1856 – May 7, 1915) was an American theater manager and producer, who discovered and promoted many stars of the American stage. Frohman produced over 700 shows, and among his biggest hits was '' Peter Pan'', both ...
Empire Theatre in the late Victorian era, and was a member of
The Lambs Club.
He was married to Adeline Stanhope. Their son
Stanhope Wheatcroft
Stanhope Nelson Wheatcroft (May 11, 1888 – February 13, 1966) was an American actor of the stage and screen who was primarily active during Hollywood's silent era.
Biography
Stanhope was born in New York City in 1888 to Nelson Wheatcroft a ...
was also a
silent film actor.
He was born Christopher William Wheatcroft to William Wheatcroft and Emily Susanna Nelson. He changed his first name to his mother's maiden name. He met Jane Elizabeth Rogers in 1875. They had five children of whom two died during infancy. While his family lived in London, Wheatcroft toured the country.
He met
Adeline Stanhope, a married woman whose husband was Thomas Amory Sullivan. While Sullivan went to the United States, Nelson and Adeline began a relationship. Sullivan returned from the US and discovered his wife's adultery with Wheatcroft. Stanhope divorced Sullivan in 1882 and married Nelson Wheatcroft in 1886. She had a son with Wheatcroft, Stanhope Wheatcroft.
With his death in 1897, Nelson Wheatcroft had not divorced his first wife, Jane, before marrying Adeline, and thus was called a bigamist.
References
External links
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Portrait gallery(NY Public Library, Billy Rose collection)
Portrait(Univ. of Louisville, Macauley Theatre collection)
Portrait and short bioWayback Machine)
portrait of Adeline Stanhope WheatcroftWayback Machine)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wheatcroft, Nelson
1852 births
1897 deaths
English emigrants to the United States
Male actors from London
British drama teachers
19th-century English male actors