George Ellsworthy "Roy" Redgrave (26 April 1873 – 25 May 1922) was an English stage and

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

actor. Redgrave is considered to be the first member of the Redgrave acting dynasty.

Early life

Born George Edward Redgrave in 122 Kennington Road,

Kennington Kennington is a district in south London, England. It is mainly within the London Borough of Lambeth, running along the boundary with the London Borough of Southwark, a boundary which can be discerned from the early medieval period between th ...

, a district of

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, which today also gives its name to the (much larger) London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth itself was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charin ...

south London South London is the southern part of Greater London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, Lon ...

in 1873, he was the eldest son of George Augustus Redgrave (1851–81), a maker of the board game Bagatelle, and Zoe Beatrice Elsworthy (''née'' Pym, later Howard; 1856–1936). By 1897, he was professionally known as Roy Redgrave apparently in the belief that he was descended from Rob Roy. The Redgrave family originated in the

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...

village of Crick. Redgrave also assumed the middle name "Elsworthy" from his mother, and his sister took the stage name Dolly Elsworthy. Redgrave was the eldest of five siblings.

Family and career

His first wife was actress Ellen Maud Pratt, the daughter of prosperous

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

farmer John Dew Pratt of Buckland Monachorum. Her stage name was Judith Kyrle. They were married in Littleham-cum-Exmouth, Devon on 1 September 1894. Their careers reached a high point at their joint debut at the Britannia Theatre,

Hoxton Hoxton is an area in the London Borough of Hackney, England. It was Historic counties of England, historically in the county of Middlesex until 1889. Hoxton lies north-east of the City of London, is considered to be a part of London's East End ...

in April 1900 with Roy billed as ''"The Dramatic Cock o' the North"''. They had three children, John Kyrle born in 1895, Robin Roy (father of Major-General Sir Roy Redgrave) born in 1897 and Nellie Maud born in 1898. About this time Redgrave fell in love with a young actress named Esther Mary Cooke (known on the stage as Ettie Carlisle), daughter of Victor Cooke, huntsman and riding master. Ellen discovered the affair and Ettie fled Britain for South Africa. Redgrave followed her to South Africa. Ettie married Clayton Parrett by special licence between 28 October and 10 November 1903, on a Sunday at St. George's Cathedral in

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

. Redgrave arrived two days later on the Tuesday. Ettie then left Clayton Parrett and went with Redgrave to Australia where she then bore him a son, Victor Redgrave Parrett, born 25 July 1906 in Australia. Roy_Redgrave_and_Tittell_Brune

At some point after initial Australian theatre work, Redgrave left for England alone. According to the "History of Australian Theatre" archives, American actress Minnie Tittell Brune made her first appearance in Australia on 21 September 1904 at

Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, Australia, refers to three theatres of the same name none of which remain standing. They were located in central Sydney on either Pitt Street or Quay Street. History First theatre (1887–1933) The original Her M ...

in the play ''Sunday'', supported by Roy Redgrave. Roy toured with her on the J.C. Williamson circuit. According to Corin Redgrave, Ellen (Judith) pursued Roy to Australia, arriving in time to pay his unsettled hotel bills, but she was unable to persuade him to return home with her to his family. Ellen remarried Frederick John Nettlefold, a respectable landed gentleman, in Brighton, England in 1907. However Redgrave did return to Britain, appearing in

repertory A repertory theatre, also called repertory, rep, true rep or stock, which are also called producing theatres, is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom ...

at the Grand Theatre,

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

, where he met Daisy Bertha Mary Scudamore. She eventually adopted the stage name Margaret Scudamore. They married at

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in 1907 while touring in the north and had one child, the actor Sir Michael Redgrave born on 20 March 1908, later to become the father of actors Vanessa, Corin and Lynn. Six months after Michael's birth, Redgrave left Daisy (Margaret) and returned to Australia again, this time permanently. William Anderson, a

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

producer, had just built the King's Theatre, and needed actors. His name appears in June 1909, when he performed in the play ''The Bank of England''. In 1910 he played Prince Michael in '' The Prince and the Beggar Maid'' in a tour of Australia. In the same year, Anderson, known for his fondness of the lurid and sensational, had Roy collaborate with him on a play about the just ended Dr. Crippen case. Crippen was hanged in November 1910. The play was called ''By Wireless Telegraphy'', which was staged by Anderson at the King's Theatre, Melbourne, from 22 October 1910. Anderson was ruined financially by an expensive flop, and had to lease away his King's Theatre, and Redgrave turned his attention to the new and burgeoning film industry, under contract to Lincoln-Cass Films. Although he claimed he did not like motion picture acting he appeared in several

s, beginning in 1911 with ''The Christian''. Later he played the villain in ''

Moondyne ''Moondyne'' is an 1879 novel by John Boyle O'Reilly. It is loosely based on the life of the Western Australian Convict era of Western Australia, convict escapee and bushranger Moondyne Joe. It is believed to be the first ever fictional novel s ...

'' (1913) as well as six shorts, played the lead in '' Our Friends, the Hayseeds'' (1917), and co-starred in ''Robbery Under Arms'' (1920). Back in the UK, the forsaken Daisy had changed her name to Margaret and married Captain James Anderson, a wealthy tea planter.

Remaining in Australia

Redgrave remained in Australia until his death sometime in the 1920s, but exactly where he lived and when he died remained a mystery to his family in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

until his granddaughter Lynn Redgrave visited Sydney with her then husband John Clark, and vowed to find him. Their search ended at the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

library, where, as she recounts in her play '' Shakespeare for My Father'' (page 48), they came up with Redgrave's obituary, learning that he had died on 25 May 1922, and was buried at South Head Cemetery. There they learned that he had been put in an unmarked grave by somebody called Minnie, who paid 15 shillings. (The idea that it may have been the religious Minnie Tittell Brune feeling sorry for him is enticing. More probably it was Minnie Hider, Esther's friend and confidante, who brought Victor up). They found the spot, and arranged for a

headstone A gravestone or tombstone is a marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. A marker set at the head of the grave may be called a headstone. An especially old or elaborate stone slab may be called a funeral stele, stela, or slab. The u ...

, asked his son Michael what it should say, and he said to put, simply, "Roy Redgrave, Actor". It was later discovered that Redgrave married Irish widow Mary Leresche in 191

His marriage certificate makes reference to his previous marriage to Ellen (Judith) but not to any subsequent marriage to Daisy (Margaret Scudamore). Mary died in 194

Silent filmography

* '' The Christian (1911 film), The Christian'' (1911) .... John Storm * ''

Transported ''Transported'' is an Australian convict melodrama film directed by W. J. Lincoln. It is considered a lost film. Plot In England, Jessie Grey is about to marry Leonard Lincoln but the evil Harold Hawk tries to force her to marry him and she ...

'' (1913) * ''The Sick Stockrider'' (1913) * ''The Road to Ruin'' (1913) * ''The Reprieve'' (1913) * ''The Remittance Man'' (1913) * ''

'' (1913) .... Isaac Bowman * ''The Crisis'' (1913) * '' Our Friends, the Hayseeds'' (1917) aka The Hayseeds (Australia) .... Dad Hayseed * '' Robbery Under Arms'' (1920) .... Dan Moran

References

External links

*
Fortunatus History (Skidmore)

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Redgrave, Roy Bigamists 1873 births 1922 deaths Male actors from London Actors from the London Borough of Lambeth English male film actors English male silent film actors English male stage actors 20th-century English male actors Redgrave family People from Kennington