Cosmo Charles Gordon-Lennox (17 August 1869 – 31 July 1921), whose stage name was Cosmo Stuart, was a British actor and playwright of the late-19th and early-20th centuries. He became known as an actor in the 1890s, but by the turn of the century he had begun to concentrate on writing, usually under his real name. He specialised in adapting French comedies for the British stage, but also wrote original works, often as vehicles for his wife, the actress

Marie Tempest Dame Mary Susan Etherington, (15 July 1864 – 15 October 1942), known professionally as Marie Tempest, was an English singer and actress. Tempest became a famous soprano in late Victorian light opera and Edwardian musical comedies. Later, s ...

Life and career

Early years

Gordon-Lennox was born on 17 August 1869, the only son of Lord Alexander Gordon-Lennox and his wife, Emily Frances, ''née'' Towneley. He was educated at the Oratory School,

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 West ...

, after which he was trained as an actor by

Sarah Thorne Sarah Thorne (10 May 1836 – 27 February 1899) was a British actress and actress-manager of the 19th century who managed the Theatre Royal at Margate for many years. She ran a school for acting there which is widely regarded as Britain's fir ...

."Mr Cosmo Gordon-Lennox", ''The Stage'', 4 August 1921, p. 13 As "Cosmo Stuart" he made his first appearance in London, at the

Avenue Theatre The Playhouse Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Northumberland Avenue, near Trafalgar Square, central London. The Theatre was built by F. H. Fowler and Hill with a seating capacity of 1,200. It was rebuilt i ...

on 13 November 1894, as Gerard Brewster in a single matinée performance of a farcical comedy, ''The Joker'', presented by Thorne, giving some of her pupils the chance to appear alongside established actors including

Alfred Maltby Alfred Maltby (c. 1842 – 12 February 1901) was an English actor, costume designer, playwright and columnist. He began his theatrical career in 1872, becoming a much sought-after costume designer in the West End theatre, West End. By 1875 he began ...

. He then appeared at the

Opera Comique The Opera Comique was a 19th-century theatre constructed in Westminster, London, between Wych Street, Holywell Street and the Strand. It opened in 1870 and was demolished in 1902, to make way for the construction of the Aldwych and Kingsway. ...

as Lord Cyril in a melodrama, ''The Wife of Dives'', on 26 November, winning good notices. In 1895 he created the small role of the Vicomte de Nanjac in

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

's '' An Ideal Husband'', and for the subsequent provincial tour he was promoted to a leading role, Lord Goring. His next parts were Mervyn Thorp in ''Mrs Ponderbury's Past'' (Avenue, November 1895). and Paillard in ''A Night Out'', an adaptation of ''

L'Hôtel du libre échange ''L'Hôtel du Libre échange'' (: ''Free Exchange Hotel'') is a comedy written by the French playwrights Georges Feydeau and Maurice Desvallières in 1894. The play takes place in Paris in the 19th century, and follows two Parisian households and ...

'' by

Georges Feydeau Georges-Léon-Jules-Marie Feydeau (; 8 December 1862 – 5 June 1921) was a French playwright of the era known as the Belle Époque. He is remembered for his farces, written between 1886 and 1914. Feydeau was born in Paris to middle-class parent ...

and

Maurice Desvallières Ernest George Maurice Lefebvre-Desvallières (3 October 1857 – 23 March 1926) was a 19th–20th-century French playwright. Maurice was the brother of George Desvallières, son of Emile Lefebvre Desvallières and Marie Legouvé (daughter and g ...

(

Vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

, April 1896). ''

The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...

'' said "he scored a hit in his most pleasing performance of the young guardsman in ''The Adventure of Lady Ursula'' at the Duke of York's in October of that year". In 1898 he married the actress

, and although he continued his acting career for some years after that – he appeared with

Seymour Hicks Sir Edward Seymour Hicks (30 January 1871 – 6 April 1949), better known as Seymour Hicks, was a British actor, music hall performer, playwright, actor-manager and producer. He became known, early in his career, for writing, starring in and p ...

in ''Self and Lady'' (1900), and with Charles Wyndham in ''The Case of Rebellious Susan'' 1901) – he turned mostly to writing, usually under his real name.

20th century

In 1901 Gordon-Lennox collaborated with Robert Hitchens in adapting '' Vanity Fair'' for the stage. The production, only moderately successful, starred Tempest. Another adaptation, this time from the French, was a farce, ''The Little French Milliner'', from ''Coralie et Cie,'' which was given at the Avenue in 1902, and ran for 171 performances. As Cosmo Stuart he appeared in ''The Princess's Nose'' (Avenue, March 1902) and ''The Grass Widow'' (

Shaftesbury Shaftesbury () is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is situated on the A30 road, west of Salisbury, near the border with Wiltshire. It is the only significant hilltop settlement in Dorset, being built about above sea level on a ...

, June 1902). A successful adaptation, in which Tempest played to great advantage, according to ''The Stage'', was the comedy ''

The Marriage of Kitty ''The Marriage of Kitty'' is a lost 1915 American silent comedy film directed by George Melford. It was written by Francis de Croisset, Fred de Gresac, Cosmo Gordon Lennox and Hector Turnbull. The origin of the work was de Croisset, who wro ...

'', from ''La Passerelle'', which ran in 1902–03 at three successive theatres during its run of 293 performances, and ran for a further 36 performances when revived in 1906 It was the first of six of Gordon-Lennox's plays to be produced on

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 ...

, where Tempest played it for a limited run in 1903–04. At the Haymarket Theatre in December 1905 Gordon-Lennox, acting under his real name, was in the cast of ''The Indecision of Mr Kingsbury'', which he adapted from

Georges Berr Georges Berr (30 July 1867 – 21 July 1942) in Paris, was a French actor and dramatist, a member and sociétaire of the Comédie-Française from 1886 to 1923. Under the pseudonyms Colias and Henry Bott he wrote several plays, particularly in c ...

's ''L'Irresolu''. After this, he concentrated on writing. For his wife he wrote ''The Freedom of Suzanne'', an original comedy that ran at the

Criterion Theatre The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre at Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has a seating capacity of 588. Building the theatre In 1870, the caterers Spiers and Pond began developmen ...

for 177 performances in 1904–05. He had no success with ''Miquette'' (Duke of York's, October 1906), from the French of G. A. Caillavet and Robert de Flers, which closed after two weeks. ''The Van Dyck'' (His Majesty's, March 1907), from the French of Eugène Fourrier gave Sir Herbert Tree one of his favourite short parts, but ran for only 32 performances. ''The Thief '' (

St James's St James's is a central district in the City of Westminster, London, forming part of the West End. In the 17th century the area developed as a residential location for the British aristocracy, and around the 19th century was the focus of the de ...

, November 1907), from Henry Bernstein's ''Le Voleur'', ran for 186 performances and was judged a skilful adaptation. Another adaptation from the French, ''Angela'' (1907), had a starry cast including Tempest,

Allan Aynesworth Edward Henry Abbot-Anderson (14 April 1864, Sandhurst, Berkshire – 22 August 1959, Camberley, Surrey), known professionally as Allan Aynesworth, was an English actor and producer. His career spanned more than six decades, from 1887 to 1949 ...

, Eric Lewis,

Lillah McCarthy Lillah Emma McCarthy, Lady Keeble CBE (22 September 1875 – 15 April 1960) was an English actress and theatrical manager. Biography Lila Emma McCarty was born in Cheltenham on 22 September 1875, the seventh of eight children of Jonadab McCar ...

and

Lydia Bilbrook Lydia Bilbrook (6 May 1888 – 4 January 1990; sometimes credited as Bilbrooke) was an English actress whose career spanned four decades, first as a stage performer in the West End, and later in films. Bilbrook made her first stage appearan ...

, but had only a moderate run of 75 performances. Gordon-Lennox's last plays included ''Her Sister'' (1907), co-written with

Clyde Fitch Clyde Fitch (May 2, 1865 – September 4, 1909) was an American dramatist, the most popular writer for the Broadway stage of his time (c. 1890–1909). Biography Born in Elmira, New York, and educated at Holderness School and Amherst College (c ...

, seen on Broadway, starring

Ethel Barrymore Ethel Barrymore (born Ethel Mae Blythe; August 15, 1879 – June 18, 1959) was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors. Barrymore was a stage, screen and radio actress whose career spanned six decades, and was regarde ...

, and ''Helena's Path'' written jointly with

Anthony Hope Sir Anthony Hope Hawkins, better known as Anthony Hope (9 February 1863 – 8 July 1933), was a British novelist and playwright. He was a prolific writer, especially of adventure novels but he is remembered predominantly for only two books: ''Th ...

, (Duke of York's, May 1910). Gordon-Lennox died at the cottage hospital, Marlow, Buckinghamshire, after an unsuccessful operation, aged 51. He and Tempest had no children; she later remarried.Gray, Frances
"Tempest, Dame Marie (real name Susan Mary Etherington) (1864–1942), actress"
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004

References and sources

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon-Lennox, Cosmo 1876 births 1921 deaths English dramatists and playwrights English actors