Cecil Worthington Starr Lean (July 7, 1878 – July 18, 1935) was a Canadian-American actor, lyricist, composer, and singer.

Biography

Cecil Lean was born in London, Ontario, the son of John Udie Lean. As a child, Lean moved with his father to Detroit, Michigan where he began his acting career at the age of 13. At age 19, Lean moved to Chicago, where he rose to prominence acting in a string of

musical comedies Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

at the La Salle Theater. Lean married actress Florence Holbrook in a ceremony at the

Little Church Around The Corner The Church of the Transfiguration, also known as the Little Church Around the Corner, is an Episcopal parish church located at 1 East 29th Street, between Madison and Fifth Avenues in the NoMad neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The con ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

on September 21, 1902. The two were widely known as "Lovey" and "Dovey" respectively, and the two made a pact to only perform together. The couple separated in 1910, and by 1912, reports had surfaced that the couple were remaining married "for business reasons only". After three previous instances of divorce proceedings were dismissed, the couple divorced in late 1913. Lean first met actress

Cleo Mayfield Cleo Empey (born Cleo Mayfield; August 6, 1898 – November 8, 1954) was an American actress and singer. Biography Mayfield was born on August 6, 1898, as Cleo Empey, the youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Clarence B. Empey in Hutchinson, Kansa ...

in Chicago in 1912, during the production of ''The Military Girl'' at the Ziegfeld Theatre. For the remainder of his career, the two would frequently appear together in theatrical productions. In February 1914, Lean married Mayfield in a

civil ceremony A civil, or registrar, ceremony is a non-religious legal marriage ceremony performed by a government official or functionary. In the United Kingdom, this person is typically called a registrar. In the United States, civil ceremonies may be performed ...

in Chicago. Prior to their marriage, Lean and Mayfield had been in a romantic relationship for over two years that only a few of their closest friends knew about. Lean's

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 ...

appearances include productions of: ''The Soul Kiss'', ''Bright Eyes'', ''The Man with Three Wives'', ''

The Blue Paradise ''The Blue Paradise'' is a musical in a prologue and two acts, with music by Edmund Eysler, Sigmund Romberg and Leo Edwards, lyrics primarily by Herbert Reynolds, and a book by Edgar Smith, based on the operetta ''Ein Tag im Paradies'' (''A D ...

'', ''

Miss 1917 ''Miss 1917'' is a musical revue with a book by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, music by Victor Herbert, Jerome Kern and others, and lyrics by Harry B. Smith, Otto Harbach, Henry Blossom and others. Made up of a string of vignettes, the show fea ...

'', ''Look Who's Here'', ''The Blushing Bride'', ''Innocent Eyes'', and ''

Everybody's Welcome {{italic title ''Everybody's Welcome'' is a musical comedy with a book by Lambert Carroll, lyrics by Irving Kahal, and music by Sammy Fain. The musical has two acts and a prologue. The story is based on ''Up Pops the Devil'' by Frances Goodrich a ...

''. In addition to his credits as a performer, Lean was credited as providing additional lyrics to the aforementioned productions of ''Bright Eyes'' and ''Look Who's Here'' and both additional lyrics and additional music to the aforementioned production of ''The Blue Paradise''. In the course of his acting career, Lean was frequently associated with producer,

Flo Ziegfeld Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the ''Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He also ...

. In addition to his career on-stage, Lean was a well-known radio comedian. On July 18, 1935, in the presence of Mayfield, Lean collapsed and died of an apparent heart attack in

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* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lean, Cecil 1878 births 1934 deaths Vaudeville performers American male stage actors American male musical theatre actors 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American singers Male actors from London, Ontario Musicians from London, Ontario 20th-century American male singers Canadian emigrants to the United States