The Albery family is a British family of theatre managers and playwrights who helped to build the London theatre into the tourist attraction that it is today. They ran the Albery Theatre which is now the Noël Coward.

James Albery

James Albery's (1838-1889) work included ''Dr. Davy'', produced in 1866 at the Lyceum, and ''Two Roses'', produced in 1870 at the Vaudeville. His wife was actress Mary Moore. They had three sons, Irving, Bronson and Wyndham.

Mary Moore

Mary Charlotte Moore (1861-1931), later Lady Wyndham, was an English actress and theatrical manager. She was known for her appearances in comedies alongside the actor-manager Charles Wyndham. She was married to James Albery from 1879 to 1889, and after his death her relationship with Wyndham eventually became romantic. After the death of Wyndham's estranged wife in 1916, they married. She was a very capable businesswoman and was joint proprietor of Wyndham's Theatre and the New Theatre (now the Noël Coward Theatre). After Wyndham's death she founded a limited company through which she controlled the two theatres until she died in 1931, aged 69.

Sir Irving Albery

The eldest son of James Albery and Mary Moore, Irving Albery was a Conservative Party politician who served as Member of Parliament for

Gravesend Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Ro ...

from 1924 to 1945. He married Gertrude Mary, ''(née'' Jones (1884–1967), daughter of playwright

Henry Arthur Jones Henry Arthur Jones (20 September 1851 – 7 January 1929) was an English dramatist, who was first noted for his melodrama '' The Silver King'' (1882), and went on to write prolifically, often appearing to mirror Ibsen from the opposite (conserva ...

) and their daughter Jessica Albery was one of the first professional women architects in the UK. A grandson was chemist

John Albery Wyndham John Albery, FRS (5 April 1936 – 3 December 2013) was a British physical chemist and academic. Early life Wyndham John Albery was born on 5 April 1936. His father Michael James Albery (1910-75), a barrister, was part of a sprawling ...

Sir Bronson Albery

The second son of James Albery and Mary Moore, Bronson Albery (March 6, 1881 – July 21, 1971) assumed control of the family theatres with Charles Wyndham's son, Howard. Bronson produced ''The Knight of the Burning Pestle'' (1920), ''David Garrick'' (1922) and Saint Joan (1924). He established the Arts Theatre Club (1927) and was the president of the Society of West End Theatre Managers (1941–45, 1952–53). He was knighted in 1949. He married Una Gwynn Rolleston, daughter of the writer

T. W. Rolleston Thomas William Hazen Rolleston (1 May 1857 – 5 December 1920) was an Irish writer, literary figure and translator, known as a poet but publishing over a wide range of literary and political topics. He lived at various times in Killiney in Cou ...

Sir Donald Albery

Elder son of Bronson Albery and Una Gwynn Rolleston,

Donald Albery Sir Donald Arthur Rolleston Albery (19 June 1914 – 14 September 1988) was an English theatre impresario who did much to translate the adventurous spirit of London in the 1960s onto the stage. Biography He was born into a theatrical family ...

(June 19, 1914 – September 14, 1988), took over his father's theatre holdings when the latter died. His producing debut came with

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquir ...

's ''The Living Room'' (1953). He had many other hits including: '' Waiting for Godot'' (1955); '' The Rose Tattoo,

A Taste of Honey ''A Taste of Honey'' is the first play by the British dramatist Shelagh Delaney, written when she was 19. It was intended as a novel, but she turned it into a play because she hoped to revitalise British theatre and address social issues that ...

, The Hostage'', and '' The World of Suzie Wong!'' (all in 1959); ''Fings Ain't Wot They Used T' Be'', '' A Passage to India'', and ''

Oliver! ''Oliver!'' is a coming-of-age stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before op ...

'' (all in 1960); ''Beyond the Fringe'' and ''Celebration'' (both in 1961); and '' Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1964). He produced many plays in New York City as well and was the director of the British company Anglia Television (1958–78). He was knighted in 1977. His third wife was theatrical producer Nobuko Uenishi Morris.

Ian Albery

Son of Donald Albery and his first wife, Rubina Macgilchrist, Ian Albery is a theatre consultant, manager and producer, chief executive of

Sadler's Wells Theatre Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue in Clerkenwell, London, England located on Rosebery Avenue next to New River Head. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500-seat ...

from 1994 to 2002, and in charge of the Donmar Warehouse from 1961 to 1989.

Nicholas Albery

Eldest son of Donald Albery and his second wife, Cicely, daughter of Army officer Reginald Harvey Henderson Boys, Nicholas Albery was a social inventor, instigator and coordinator of a variety of projects aimed at an improvement to society.

Tim Albery

Second son of Donald Albery and Una Gwynn Rolleston, Tim Albery received a Laurence Olivier Award in England and was nominated for the 2020 Dora Mavor Moore Award for Hell's Fury in Canada.

Wyndham Albery

The third son of James Albery and Mary Moore, Wyndham Albery was a politician and accountant, an official of the Independent Labour Party.

References

{{reflist English theatre managers and producers Businesspeople from London