Daisy Belmore (30 June 1874 – 12 December 1954) was an English stage and film actress. Born in England, Belmore moved to the United States in 1910 where she settled, achieving citizenship in 1939 and fame as a leading stage actress, as well as on film. Her career started at the age of 8 and following a break to complete her education, she returned to stage aged 15, touring the world with the

Wilson Barrett Wilson Barrett (born William Henry Barrett; 18 February 1846 – 22 July 1904) was an English manager, actor, and playwright. With his company, Barrett is credited with attracting the largest crowds of English theatregoers ever because of his suc ...

company to countries including America, Australia and India. Her godmother was

Ellen Terry Dame Alice Ellen Terry, (27 February 184721 July 1928), was a leading English actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born into a family of actors, Terry began performing as a child, acting in Shakespeare plays in London, and tour ...

, who was among the most famous actresses of her time. She first visited the United States in 1910 to appear in the musical comedy ''

Our Miss Gibbs ''Our Miss Gibbs'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts by 'Cryptos' and James T. Tanner, with lyrics by Adrian Ross and Percy Greenbank, music by Ivan Caryll and Lionel Monckton. Produced by George Edwardes, it opened at the Gaiety T ...

'', produced by

Charles Frohman Charles Frohman (July 15, 1856 – May 7, 1915) was an American theater manager and producer, who discovered and promoted many stars of the American stage. Notably, he produced ''Peter Pan'', both in London and the US, the latter production ...

and would later work with William Faversham. Her breakthrough role came in 1921 as the character of Old Sweetheart in ''

Three Live Ghosts ''Three Live Ghosts'' is a novel by Frederic Isham published in 1918. He adapted it into the 1920 Broadway play of the same name produced by Max Marcin. There were also three film adaptations: * ''Three Live Ghosts'' (1922 film), a British com ...

'', as a "gin drinking lovable old mother" which earned her much praise and she was barely recognised in the street following her character's appearance transformation. She was later part of a "strong cast" for the 1928 silent film '' We Americans'' and was part of the supporting cast of '' My Past'' in 1931, alongside stars including

Joan Blondell Joan Blondell (born Rose Joan Bluestein; August 30, 1906 – December 25, 1979) was an American actress who performed in film and television for 50 years. Blondell began her career in vaudeville. After winning a beauty pageant, she embarked on ...

and

Virginia Sale Virginia Sale (May 20, 1899 – August 23, 1992) was an American character actress whose career spanned six decades, during most of which she played older women, even when she was in her twenties. Over the 46 years she was active as an actr ...

. Belmore helped arrange acting classes in

Shakespearean William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

drama for

Nellie Bramley Ellen "Nellie" Odelle Bramley (4 February 1890 – 9 June 1982) was an Australian stage actress who gained prominence during the early 20th century as a leading actress on stage and opened the Palace Theatre, Melbourne around 1914. Bramley was ...

, an upcoming Australian stage actress. She married

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

-born Samuel Waxman in 1902 had 2 children, Eric and Ruth, before their separation in 1923 and his death in 1942. Her daughter was also a stage actress and musician, sometimes appearing alongside her mother. One of her brothers was director

Lionel Belmore Lionel Belmore (12 May 1867 – 30 January 1953) was an English character actor and director on stage for more than a quarter of a century. Life and career Onstage, Belmore appeared with Wilson Barrett, Sir Henry Irving, William Faversham, ...

. Belmore died in her apartment at the Wellington Hotel in December 1954 due to a heart attack.

Early life

Belmore was born on 30 June 1874 and baptised on 27 September 1874 in St Marylebone, Westminster, England as Daisy Gertrude Garstin. Her parents were George Benjamin Garstin and Alice Maud Mary Ann Garstin and she was one of seven children. Her godmother was

, who was among the most famous actresses of her time. Belmore did not believe she resembled her mother and in her opinion, took after her father who was a prominent comedian and acted alongside his friend Sir

Henry Irving Sir Henry Irving (6 February 1838 – 13 October 1905), christened John Henry Brodribb, sometimes known as J. H. Irving, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility ( ...

Career

19th century

Belmore's career started at around the age of 8 and by 15, she was a leading comedienne, touring the world and played in repertoire with

's company, with whom she had been with since the start of her career. In her earlier years, she would play child parts alongside her brother and together they played in ''The Silver King''. During this time, she recalled how her mother would play the "heavy character" parts, while her older sister would play comedian roles and her sister's husband would play other character roles. She took time out of acting to attend school and returned to the stage at the age of 15. Recalling her first acting part, she had just two sentences to speak and entered the stage "with my knees quaking under me", yet could only whisper when expected to speak. Upon returning to her dressing room, her mother suggested that she give up on any thought of being a stage actress, believing that she had "no voice and absolutely no gifts for it", noting that for her to continue would risk disgrace to their family name and reputation. As part of the Wilson Barrett Company, she toured the world, visiting America several times and in 1898, toured Australia for the first time. She praised the Australian audiences as being enthusiastic and knowing when to laugh or not, depending on the seriousness of the scene.

20th century

During a tour of Australia in 1901, Belmore played Dacia in ''The Sign of the Cross''. She came to the United States in 1910, having sailed from

Southampton, England Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Por ...

and arriving in New York on 29 July 1910, to appear in the musical comedy ''

'' which was produced by

. Following a period working under Frohman, she later worked with William Faversham in a 1911 production of The Faun, alongside her brothers. In 1921, she had the biggest hit of her career to date in ''

'', playing the character Old Sweetheart, a "gin drinking lovable old mother" which earned her much praise "for her skillful work as the old lady with a mercenary mind". Belmore had to disfigure her appearance for the role, as she was known for her good looks which was not in keeping with her character. Her appearance was so transformative that she was seldom recognised in the street by those who had seen the play, with her feeling concerned that people may have believed her disfigured looks to be natural. She visited Australia again in 1927, the first time in 17 years since she found fame in America, having resided in New York continuously during that time. Upon her return to Australia, she remarked how the progress Sydney had made during her time away was "simply marvellous". Belmore was considered as having a "rare quality of mature judgement" with frank opinions, noted during an interview she gave during her stay in Australia. In 1928, she was part of a "strong cast" for the silent film We Americans, starred in the

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

''Seven Days Leave'' in 1930 and in 1931, was part of the supporting cast of '' My Past,'' alongside known stars such as

and

. Belmore helped train and mentor Nellie Bramley as an upcoming Australian stage actress, helping her practice scene work in

drama. Outside of films, Belmore was also a theatre actress, having directed and toured for 40 weeks with ''

The Vagabond King ''The Vagabond King'' is a 1925 operetta by Rudolf Friml in four acts, with a book and lyrics by Brian Hooker and William H. Post, based upon Justin Huntly McCarthy's 1901 romantic novel and play ''If I Were King''. The story is a fictionali ...

'', the majority of time spent in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. In 1932, she toured with the "largest dramatic road show" in a production of '' The Apple Cart'' by

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

. Other plays she appeared in or directed include '' Angel Street, Best of Spirits,'' and ''His Makers''. Daisy Belmore in Angel Street 1943

Her career as an actress and director took her to various countries around the world, including Australia, Africa, and India. By the late 1940s, Belmore was director of New York's American Theater and in 1947, presented ''Little Women'' at Huntingdon College as a free public service.

Personal life

Belmore sought American citizenship in December 1939, petitioning in the state of New York, having lived there since July 1910. Belmore's brother was director

, who died the year before her in Hollywood in 1953. She also had another brother, Herbert, who had died in 1951. She used to play tennis and football with her brothers during her time in America. She was married to Melbourne-born Samuel Waxman (April 1869 – March 1942) on 19 April 1902, but they separated in 1923. She had 2 children to Waxman, a boy Eric born in 1905 and a girl Ruth born in 1906. Her daughter was also a stage actress and musician, sometimes appearing alongside her mother, having made her debut at an early age. Belmore measured in height and had blue eyes.

Death

Belmore died in her apartment at the Wellington Hotel on 12 December 1954, at the age of 80 due to a heart attack.

Selected acting credits

* Bab's Burglar (1917) * Bab's Matinee Idol (1917) *

(play, 1921) * The Dancers (play, 1924) * We Americans (1928) * Seven Days Leave (1930) *

Alias French Gertie ''Alias French Gertie'' is an American pre-Code crime film directed by George Archainbaud from a screenplay by Wallace Smith, based upon the unproduced play ''The Chatterbox'' by Bayard Veiller. The film stars Bebe Daniels and Ben Lyon, who w ...

(1930) * Scarlet Pages (1930) * Ten Nights in a Bar-Room (1931) * My Past (1931)

References

Citations Sources *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Belmore, Daisy 1874 births 1954 deaths 20th-century American actresses American film actresses People with acquired American citizenship