Mary Antoinette "Tony" Perry (June 27, 1888June 28, 1946) was an American actress and

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

, and co-founder of the

American Theatre Wing The American Theatre Wing (the Wing for short) is a New York City–based non-profit organization "dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theatre", according to its mission statement. Originally known as the Stage Women's War Relief ...

. She is the eponym of the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

Early life

Born in Denver, Colorado, she spent her childhood aspiring to replicate the thespian artistry of her aunt and uncle, Mildred Hall and George Wessels, who were both well-respected touring actors. She performed at the Elitch Theater near Denver when she was only 11 years old. In her biography, Mary Elitch recalled, "Her first public appearance was at the age of eleven in a small part on my stage. Today, with a brilliant career as an actress behind her, having played leading women with such great actors as David Warfield, Antoinette is a successful producer in New York City -- having her own theatre." Perry's father, William Perry, was opposed to his daughter becoming an actress, but he was not against her pursuing a career in music, so sent her to Miss Ely's School in New York to study voice and piano. Perry made her actual stage debut at

Elitch Theatre The Historic Elitch Theatre is located at the original Elitch Gardens site in northwest Denver, Colorado. Opened in 1890, it was centerpiece of the park that was the first zoo west of Chicago. The theatre was Denver's first professional theatre ...

"on June 12,1904 in Olympe as the 'Fifth Actress'." In June 1905 she made her Chicago debut in ''Mrs. Temple's Telegram'' and one year later she appeared in the same play in her New York debut. In 1906

David Warfield David Warfield (November 28, 1866 – June 27, 1951) was an American stage actor. Life and career Warfield was born David Wohlfeld in San Francisco, California, to German-Jewish parents, Louise and Sigmund Wohlfeld. His first connection wit ...

discovered her, and she remained with his company as leading lady until 1909. Perry was able to return to her hometown theatre in Denver during the 1908 Elitch Theatre season with

, Marie Bates, William Elliot and others in the preseason special productions of The Music Master and David Belasco’s The Grand Army Man. She appeared opposite

in ''Music Master'' in 1906 when she was only 18. Her career was on the rise, yet she left the stage a star in 1909, to marry Denver businessman and president of the Denver Gas and Electric Company, Frank W. Frueauff.

Career

Following Frank Frueauff's death in 1922 of a heart attack, Perry returned to the stage. In 1924 she appeared in

Zona Gale Zona Gale, also known by her married name, Zona Gale Breese (August 26, 1874 – December 27, 1938), was an American novelist, short story writer, and playwright. She became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1921. The close r ...

's ''Mr. Pitt''. She appeared notably in George S. Kaufman and

Edna Ferber Edna Ferber (August 15, 1885 – April 16, 1968) was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels include the Pulitzer Prize-winning '' So Big'' (1924), ''Show Boat'' (1926; made into the celebrated 1927 musical), '' Ci ...

's ''Minick'' that same year. She took up directing in 1928. In partnership with

Brock Pemberton Brock Pemberton (December 14, 1885 – March 11, 1950) was an American theatrical producer, director and founder of the Tony Awards. He was the professional partner of Antoinette Perry, co-founder of the American Theatre Wing, and he was also a m ...

she produced several successful plays, including: ''Divorce Me Dear'', ''Ceiling Zero'', ''Red Harvest'', '' Strictly Dishonorable'', ''

Personal Appearance ''Personal Appearance'' (1934) is a stage comedy by the American playwright and screenwriter Lawrence Riley (1896–1974), which was a Broadway smash and the basis for the classic Mae West film ''Go West, Young Man'' ( 1936). ''Personal Ap ...

'' (

Lawrence Riley Lawrence Riley (1896–1974) was a successful United States, American playwright and screenwriter. He gained fame in 1934 in literature, 1934 as the author of the Broadway theatre, Broadway hit ''Personal Appearance'', which was turned by Mae West ...

's breakthrough hit), ''Kiss the Boys Goodbye'', and ''Janie.'' Their most famous production was probably the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

-winning Mary Chase classic ''Harvey'', which Perry directed and which enjoyed enormous success on Broadway and as a

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

starring

James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality h ...

. According to Ellis Nassour: :Perry became a stage director at a time when women working offstage in theater were often relegated to positions as costumers or dressers. She established herself as a director with

Preston Sturges Preston Sturges (; born Edmund Preston Biden; August 29, 1898 – August 6, 1959) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and film director. In 1941, he won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the film '' The Great McGinty'' (1940), h ...

in "Strictly Dishonorable" in 1929, in which her daughter Margaret debuted. “Tony was a gifted and versatile actress, and one of the best directors the American theater has produced,” noted

Helen Hayes Helen Hayes MacArthur ( Brown; October 10, 1900 – March 17, 1993) was an American actress whose career spanned 80 years. She eventually received the nickname "First Lady of American Theatre" and was the second person and first woman to have w ...

Legacy

Perry helped found, and was chairwoman and secretary of, the American Theatre Wing (ATW), which operated the

Stage Door Canteen The Stage Door Canteen was an entertainment venue for American and Allied servicemen that operated in the Broadway theatre district of New York City throughout World War II. Founded by the American Theatre Wing (ATW) in 1942, the entertainers we ...

s during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, providing entertainment to servicemen in several American cities. After her death, her friends and colleagues took action to memorialize her contribution to the high standards of American theatre.

suggested that the ATW create a series of awards to be given in her honor. Since 1947, the Antoinette Perry Awards have been given annually for distinguished achievement in theatre, and are one of the theatre world's most coveted honors. They are universally known by their nickname, the

s. Fellow ATW co-founder and Perry's close friend

Louise Heims Beck Louise Payton Heims Beck (1889 – March 16, 1978), sometimes referred to as Mrs. Martin Beck, was an American librarian who became a vaudeville performer and the wife of theatre impresario Martin Beck. She assisted her husband in his theatrical ...

was responsible for overseeing the organization of the 1st Tony Awards. In 2011 Perry was featured as an historical figure when The Neo-Futurists devised a show about the longest-running failure in Broadway history, J. Frank Davis' ''The Ladder''. The Neo-Futurist show was called ''Chalk & Saltwater: The Ladder Project''. ''Chalk & Saltwater'' explored the individuals involved in the failed show this included Edgar B. Davis, the play's backer and "angel", Brock and Murdock Pemberton, and J. Frank Davis and their lives before and after ''The Ladder''s 789-performance run. Perry was a member of the original cast of ''The Ladder'', but left the production prior to its close. Perry was inducted into the

Colorado Women's Hall of Fame The Colorado Women's Hall of Fame is a non-profit, volunteer organization that recognizes women who have contributed to the history of the U.S. state of Colorado. As of 2020, 170 women have been inducted. History There was a short-lived recogniti ...

in 2004.

Personal life

Perry had three daughters: Margaret, who became an actress; Virginia, who died as an infant; and Elaine, who became a stage producer in the 1950s.

Death

Perry was a devout

Christian Scientist Christian Science is a set of beliefs and practices associated with members of the Church of Christ, Scientist. Adherents are commonly known as Christian Scientists or students of Christian Science, and the church is sometimes informally known ...

. Despite signs of

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, hea ...

, she refused to see a doctor. The day after her 58th birthday, on June 28, 1946, she died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

. She is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, New York City.

References

External links

*

*
Antoinette Perry's biography
American Theatre Wing website; accessed June 9, 2014.
Antoinette Perry profile, ''Encyclopædia Britannica''

Colorado Women's Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Antoinette 1888 births 1946 deaths Actresses from Denver American musical theatre actresses American stage actresses American theatre directors Women theatre directors Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York) 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers American Christian Scientists