Auriol Lee (13 September 1880 – 2 July 1941) was a popular British stage actress who became a successful West End and

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

theatrical producer and director.

Biography

She was born in Maddox Street in the London district of St George's Hanover Square, the daughter of Katie and Robert James Lee. Auriol Lee’s father was a medical doctor who, according to her ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' obituary, was a distant relative of

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

. Auriol was educated both in England and at schools in Europe where she also received her training for the stage at

La Monnaie The Royal Theatre of La Monnaie (french: Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, italic=no, ; nl, Koninklijke Muntschouwburg, italic=no; both translating as the "Royal Theatre of the Mint") is an opera house in central Brussels, Belgium. The National O ...

in Brussels before making her London debut at around the age of twenty. Auriol made her Broadway debut in November, 1903 with the Forbes-Robertson Company in Kipling’s ''

The Light that Failed ''The Light That Failed'' is the first novel by the Nobel Prize-winning English author Rudyard Kipling, first published in ''Lippincott's Monthly Magazine'' in January 1891. Most of the novel is set in London, but many important events through ...

''. The previous month, while her troupe was in Boston, she played a round of golf with

Alec Campbell Alexander William Campbell (26 February 1899 – 16 May 2002) was the final surviving Australian participant of the Gallipoli campaign during the First World War.Shaw, John"Alec Campbell, Last Anzac at Gallipoli, Dies at 103" ''The New York Ti ...

, the golf pro at a prestigious Country Club in

Brookline Brookline may refer to: Places in the United States * Brookline, Massachusetts, a town near Boston * Brookline, Missouri * Brookline, New Hampshire * Brookline (Pittsburgh), a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania * Brookline, Vermont See ...

. Campbell later told the press that he was forced to play his best game to compensate for the handicap he had allowed her. Auriol Lee 2

She remained active on Broadway as a performer until 1930 while dividing her time between America and Europe appearing in a mix of classical and modern plays. Towards the end of the 1920s Auriol began to transition away from acting to producing and directing plays.Auriol Lee Internet Broadway Database (IBDb.com)
/ref> Over the remainder of her career she had a close working relationship with British playwright

John Van Druten John William Van Druten (1 June 190119 December 1957) was an English playwright and theatre director. He began his career in London, and later moved to America, becoming a U.S. citizen. He was known for his plays of witty and urbane observation ...

, directing all his Broadway productions that fell between 1931 and her death some ten years later. This included ''

Sea Fever ''Sea Fever'' is a 2019 science fiction horror thriller film written and directed by Neasa Hardiman, starring Hermione Corfield, Dougray Scott and Connie Nielsen. The film follows the crew of a marooned fishing trawler, who find themselves thre ...

'' at the New Theatre in 1931. Their most successful collaborations over this time were, ''

There's Always Juliet ''There's Always Juliet'' is a 1931 comedy play by the British writer John Van Druten about an American architect who falls in love with an Englishwoman. It ran for 118 performances at the Apollo Theatre in London West End with a cast of Herber ...

'' (1932), ''

The Distaff Side ''The Distaff Side'' is a 1933 comedy play by the British writer John Van Druten. It premiered at the King's Theatre, Edinburgh before beginning a 102-performance run at the Apollo Theatre in London between 5 September and 2 December 1933. It wa ...

'' (1935), and ''

Old Acquaintance ''Old Acquaintance'' is a 1943 American drama film released by Warner Bros. It was directed by Vincent Sherman and produced by Henry Blanke with Jack L. Warner as executive producer. The film was adapted from a screenplay by John Van Druten, Len ...

'' (1940/41). The highlight of her career came with her staging the London production of

Merton Hodge Merton Emerton Hodge (28 March 1903 – 9 October 1958) was a playwright, actor and medical practitioner. Born in Taruheru, Poverty Bay, New Zealand, he studied at Kings College in Auckland, Otago Medical School in 1925, graduated in 1928 (M.B., ...

's ''The Wind and the Rain'' which closed in 1935 after a near three-year run. Auriol was married to British film actor Frederick Lloyd for ten years before divorcing in 1922. Around this time she took an interest in aviation and became the first woman pilot to cross the Equator while flying over Africa. She was also once awarded a prize for flying 1,000 miles across the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

Death

Auriol Lee was killed in an automobile accident in or near

Hutchinson, Kansas Hutchinson is the largest city and county seat in Reno County, Kansas, United States, and located on the Arkansas River. It has been home to salt mines since 1887, thus its nickname of "Salt City", but locals call it "Hutch". As of the 2020 cen ...

, on 2 July 1941. She was returning to New York from Hollywood where she had gone to play the writer Isobel Sedbusk in

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

's film ''

Suspicion Suspicion is a feeling of mistrust. Suspicion(s), The Suspicion, or Suspicious may also refer to: Film and television Film * ''Suspicion'' (1918 film), an American silent film directed by John M. Stahl * ''Suspicion'' (1941 film), an American ...

'' and pay Van Druten a visit at his Southern California ranch.''The Corpus Christi Times'' July 3, 1941 She once reportedly told Van Druten that she wanted to be buried where she died and as she wished was interred at Fairlawn Burial Park in Hutchinson. At the time of Auriol’s death, her only close relatives were a sister and a niece, actress

Virginia Field Virginia Field (born Margaret Cynthia Field; 4 November 1917 – 2 January 1992) was a British-born film actress. Early years An only child, born in London, her father was Sir John Field. He was the judge of Leicester County Court Circuit. H ...

Filmography

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Auriol English stage actresses 1880 births 1941 deaths English theatre directors Road incident deaths in Kansas