The Rudge Sisters were British actresses and dancers from

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

. Their father, Henry Rudge, was a brass founder and chandelier maker. Their mother, Elizabeth, had a brief acting career in the Birmingham area. They also had two brothers who became brass founders. The Rudge sisters were: * Letitia Elizabeth Rudge – Letty Lind (1861–1923) * Sarah Rudge – Millie Hylton (1870–1920) * Elizabeth Rudge – Adelaide Astor (1873–1951; married

George Grossmith Jr. George Grossmith Jr. (11 May 1874 – 6 June 1935) was an English actor, theatre producer and Actor-manager, manager, director, playwright and songwriter, best remembered for his work in and with Edwardian musical comedies. Grossmith was also a ...

in 1895) * Lydia Rudge – Lydia Flopp (1877–1963) * Fanny Rudge –

Fanny Dango Fanny Mackay (née Rudge; 20 October 1878 – 15 July 1972), better known as Fanny Dango, was a British comedienne, singer and actress who found fame in both the UK and Australia. She was one of the Rudge Sisters. She married a rich Australian gra ...

(1878–1972; married

Samuel Peter Mackay Samuel Peter Mackay (1864 – 11 May 1923) was a pastoralist and businessman in Western Australia. His parents were pioneers from Ben Mohr Estate, Snizort, Isle of Skye, Inverness-shire, who emigrated with their parents, perhaps to Victori ...

in 1911) The sisters were primarily dancers, but later developed their singing talents, working variously in pantomime; variety and music hall;

Victorian burlesque Victorian burlesque, sometimes known as travesty or extravaganza, is a genre of theatrical entertainment that was popular in Victorian England and in the New York theatre of the mid-19th century. It is a form of parody in which a well-known oper ...

, often at the Gaiety Theatre,

Alexandra Theatre Alexandra Theatre may refer to: * Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham, a theatre in Birmingham, England, now the New Alexandra Theatre * Alexandra Theatre, Bognor Regis, a theatre in the British town of Bognor Regis * Alexandra Theatre, London, a theat ...

and Daly's Theatre, London, in the 1880s and 90s; and Edwardian musical comedy.Cruickshank, Graeme. "The Rudge Family: The Lives and Work of Letty Lind and her sisters", National Operatic and Dramatic Association newsletter, January 2005 Letty Lind became a famous skirt dancer and musical comedy star. Millie Hylton worked in the theatre and the music halls, eventually making a career in variety as a male impersonator and was the mother of actress Millie Sim (b. 1895). Adelaide Astor, a West End actress, and her husband George Grossmith Jr. had three children, Ena Sylvia Victoria (1896–1944), who became a stage and film actress; George (1906–c.2000), who became a theatrical manager; and Rosa Mary (1907–1988).Gänzl, Kurt. "Grossmith, George (1874-1935)" in the ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press (2004
accessed 21 Oct 2007
/ref> Lydia Flopp appeared in pantomime. Fanny Dango worked in theatre in London and then had a long and successful career in Australia. While touring Australia, she made an astute property purchase, married a wealthy sheep farmer and settled there.Buckle, Liz
"Stories found within the major shipping list project: 1852–1923"
Public Record Office, Victoria, Australia, 6 December 2012.

Notes

References

*Cruickshank, Graeme. "The Life and Loves of Letty Lind" in ''The Gaiety'', Issue 22, Summer 2007 People from Birmingham, West Midlands English families English actresses English female dancers English women singers English stage actresses {{musical-theat-stub