Sophie Larkin (1833–1903) was an English actress of the late

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

. She created roles in plays by

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 ...

and in the long-running play ''

Our Boys ''Our Boys'' is a comedy in three acts written by Henry James Byron, first performed in London on 16 January 1875 at the Vaudeville Theatre. Until it was surpassed by the run of '' Charley's Aunt'' in the 1890s, it was the world's longest- ...

'' by

H. J. Byron Henry James Byron (8 January 1835 – 11 April 1884) was a prolific English dramatist, as well as an editor, journalist, director, theatre manager, novelist and actor. After an abortive start at a medical career, Byron struggled as a provincia ...

Life

Larkin's London debut was in 1865 at 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 ...

in ''Naval Engagements''. At the same theatre she subsequently appeared in leading roles in the original productions of plays by

: in November 1865 as Lady Ptarmigant in ''

Society A society () is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. ...

''; in September 1866 as Lady Shendryn in ''Ours''; and in April 1867 as the Marquise de Saint-Maur in ''

Caste A caste is a Essentialism, fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification: a caste system. Within such a system, individuals are expected to marry exclusively within the same caste (en ...

''."Larkin, Sophie". Charles E Pascoe, editor. ''The Dramatic List: a record of the performances of living actors and actresses of the British stage''. 1880. Robertson in these plays wrote the parts to suit the resident actors and actresses. In January 1868 at

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 ...

she created the part of Mrs Erskine Meek in ''The Needful'', a comedy by H. T. Craven, and in the following month appeared in a revival of Craven's ''The Chimney Corner'' at the same theatre. Later that year she joined the company of Fanny Josephs at the

Holborn Theatre The Holborn Theatre was a theatre on High Holborn in London which opened in 1867 as the New Royal Amphitheatre and operated as an equestrian ring and theatre until 1886. During its short existence the theatre underwent numerous name changes, beco ...

, and appeared there in April in ''The White Fawn'' by F. C. Burnand, and in 1869 in a revival of Craven's ''Miriam's Crime''. In April 1870 she appeared at St James's Theatre in ''

Frou-Frou ''Frou-Frou'', is a French comedy film from 1955, directed by Augusto Genina, written by A. E. Carr, starring Dany Robin and Louis de Funès. The film is also known as "A Girl from Paris". Plot Frou-Frou is a 16-year-old peddler. She comes to t ...

'', produced by

Mademoiselle Beatrice Marie Beatrice Binda, known professionally as Mademoiselle Beatrice (5 August 1839 – 22 December 1878), born in Italy and with aristocratic connections in France, was an actress in England and founder of a touring theatre company. Life Family ...

. In October 1871 she appeared at the

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a Theater (structure), theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 at Southwark, close to the south bank of the Thames, by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men. It was ...

in the original production of ''Partners for Life'' by

. In 1874, 1879 and 1880 Larkin appeared in West End productions of ''Two Roses'', by

James Albery James Albery (4 May 1838 – 15 August 1889) was an English dramatist. Life and career Albery was born in London. On leaving school he entered an architect's office and started to write plays. His farce ''A Pretty Piece of Chiselling'' wa ...

. From January 1875 Larkin was in the original production of H. J. Byron's ''

'', at the

Vaudeville Theatre The Vaudeville Theatre is a West End theatre on the Strand in the City of Westminster. Opening in 1870, the theatre staged mostly vaudeville shows and musical revues in its early days. The theatre was rebuilt twice, although each new buildin ...

, originating the role of Clarissa Champneys. The play ran for an unprecedented 1362 nights; she continued in the role throughout the run. The play was eventually replaced by Byron's ''The Girls'', in which she created the part of Mrs Clench. During the following years she appeared in 1884 at the Lyceum Theatre in a revival of '' Pygmalion and Galatea'' by

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 ...

; and in 1894–1895 at the

Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...

in ''The Fatal Card'' by C. Haddon Chambers. Larkin died in 1903. An obiturarist wrote that she was "longtime a popular old woman actress on the London stage. ... In her time she could adapt herself equally well to the antique comic or modern humorous style of character. No comedy was too old or too new for Sophie Larkin to seem natural and happy in her part."Obituary
'' The Bulletin'', Vol. 24 No. 1235 (15 October 1903), via

Trove Trove is an Australian online library database owned by the National Library of Australia in which it holds partnerships with source providers National and State Libraries Australia, an aggregator and service which includes full text documen ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Larkin, Sophie 1833 births 1903 deaths 19th-century English actresses People associated with Gilbert and Sullivan Women of the Victorian era