Dorothy Minto ('' née'' Scott) ( – 6 December 1957) was a prominent actress on the London stage between 1905 and the mid-1930s, notably appearing in the first runs of several plays written 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 ...

. She also featured in a small number of films between 1916 and 1936. While her early stage career concentrated on classical plays and serious new work, from 1912 onwards she devoted herself more to musicals and comedies.

Early life

Many references to Dorothy Minto state or imply that she was born in 1891 (for instance, her entry in ''Who's Who in the Theatre'', 1925, gives her date of birth as 21 Feb 1891). This is based on the assumption that she was just 14 years old when playing Juliet in a 1905 production of Romeo and Juliet. However, she was (almost certainly) born in 1886 and raised as Dorothy Scott. She was very probably the daughter of Harriett Chambers of Edinburgh, a member of the publishing family that produced the Chambers Dictionary. Dorothy Scott grew up in Acton, Middlesex and the Kensington area of London. In the 1891 and 1901 censuses she was living with Harriett Chambers, described as a 'visitor' born in Edinburgh. She took acting tuition at an establishment run by Mrs. Crowe (née Kate Josephine Bateman, an actor in America and Britain who had opened an acting school in London in 1892). A photograph taken by Window & Grove of Baker St, probably while she was at acting school, is labelled "Miss Dorothy Minto Scott". She was known by the stage name of Dorothy Minto throughout her career.

Stage career

First phase

In 1903/4 Dorothy Minto worked with

F. R. Benson Sir Francis Robert Benson (4 November 1858 – 31 December 1939), known professionally as Frank Benson or F. R. Benson, was an English actor-manager. He founded his own company in 1883 and produced all but two of William Shakespeare, Shakespeare ...

's company, beginning with small parts. Her breakthrough came in 1905 when she worked with

William Poel William Poel (1852-1934) was an English actor, theatrical manager and dramatist best known for his presentations of Shakespeare. Life and career A son of William Pole, he grew up among Pre-raphaelite painters and reportedly sat for William Holm ...

's Elizabethan Stage Society and was cast as Juliet alongside Esmé Percy's Romeo. Subsequent legend put their ages at the time of the performance as 14 and 17, though a contemporary report in the London ''Daily Chronicle'' (6 May 1905) gave more realistic ages of 19 and 21. The production and the leading performances were critical successes and Minto went on to secure a number of prestigious roles in leading productions, including classical works by Shakespeare, Ibsen, Ben Jonson and Aristophanes and plays by new authors, most notably

(she was described as one of Shaw's favourite performers) but also John Galsworthy,

J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succ ...

and

Harley Granville Barker Harley Granville-Barker (25 November 1877 – 31 August 1946) was an English actor, director, playwright, manager, critic, and theorist. After early success as an actor in the plays of George Bernard Shaw, he increasingly turned to directi ...

amongst others. In 1907 she played in Elizabeth Robins' play "Votes for Women", the first suffragist play to be performed on the London stage, and she later became a member of the suffragist

Actresses' Franchise League The Actresses' Franchise League was a women's suffrage organisation, mainly active in England. Founding In 1908 the Actresses' Franchise League was founded by Gertrude Elliott, Adeline Bourne, Winifred Mayo and Sime Seruya at a meeting in the ...

Second phase

From 1912 onwards, possibly influenced by her relationship with

Morris Harvey Morris Harvey (25 September 187724 August 1944) was a British actor and writer. A renowned character actor, he also wrote for the stage, including material for Broadway revues, in which he also appeared. He was the stepfather of film director Ant ...

(with whom she appeared that year in the review ''Hullo, Ragtime''), Minto turned more to lighter - and perhaps more lucrative - roles, taking part in a series of musicals, reviews and comedies. These included productions by

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and

Nat Ayer Nathaniel Davis Ayer (August 5, 1887 – September 19, 1952) was an American composer, pianist, singer and actor. He made most of his career composing and performing in England in Edwardian musical comedy and revue. He also contributed songs to B ...

, with whom she and Harvey appeared in ''Pell Mell'' in 1916. In 1920 she was a member of the London offshoot of the

Grand Guignol ''Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol'' (: "The Theatre of the Great Puppet")—known as the Grand Guignol–was a theatre in the Pigalle district of Paris (7, cité Chaptal). From its opening in 1897 until its closing in 1962, it specialised in natura ...

company. During the 1920s she mixed lighter and more serious roles before retiring from the stage in the mid-1930s. From the 1920s she regularly toured with new productions before they were brought to London. In 1923 she was described in print as an "Actress Manageress", a position shared at the time with only two others in London ( Gladys Cooper and

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). In 1927 she starred in ''Wild-Cat Hetty'' (renamed in London from its touring name, ''Hell-Cat Hetty'') in a title role that had echoes of Eliza Doolittle in Shaw's ''Pygmalion'', a role for which she might have been considered if she had not changed direction in 1912. In 1927 the Lord Chamberlain deemed it necessary to inspect the pyjamas she was wearing in the production of

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's ''Good Morning, Bill'' ("a tight-fitting, black lace, filmy affair"). After suitably close scrutiny the pyjamas were passed fit for public viewing. In 1930-31 she did a season in repertory at the Ambassadors Theatre, Southend. She toured in Canada in 1932, performing in Shaw's ''Too True to be Good'' and Robert E. Sherwood's ''The Queen's Husband''. Throughout her career she received good reviews, with reviewers often praising her attractiveness as well as her acting skills.

Film career

In 1913 Minto appeared as herself, modelling clothes in a short film called ''Kinemacolour Fashion Gazette''. She played roles in a small number of feature films from 1916 onwards, including in several silent films directed by British director Kenelm Foss. The last of the firms she made with Foss was ''The Glad Eye'' (1920), an adaptation of a play by Paul Armont that she had acted in eight years previously. She played no film parts between 1922 and 1930 (approximately corresponding to the dates of her second marriage) when she acted in her first 'talkie', a musical comedy directed by Walter Summers called ''Raise the Roof''. Her final film part was in ''Broken Blossoms'' (d. John Brahm, 1936) which was a remake of a D. W. Griffith classic.

Personal life

In 1907 Dorothy Minto married the actor Shiel Barry, with whom she had appeared the previous year in the play ''Robin Hood''. Barry was the son of one of the main actors in

Dion Boucicault Dionysius Lardner "Dion" Boucicault (né Boursiquot; 26 December 1820 – 18 September 1890) was an Irish actor and playwright famed for his melodramas. By the later part of the 19th century, Boucicault had become known on both sides of the ...

's company (he was also called Shiel Barry). "The wedding was known only to a few persons, and the bride and bridegroom continued to appear at their respective theatres without indulging in a honeymoon." In 1908 they had a daughter, Moira. By 1913, though, Minto was listed in the London phone book as living at the same address as the actor

, and in 1914 Barry (who was by then acting in the North of England, notably in the Liverpool Repertory Company) filed divorce proceedings citing Harvey as the

co-respondent In English law, a co-respondent is, in general, a respondent to a petition, or other legal proceeding, along with another or others, or a person called upon to answer in some other way. 7.4.19 Divorce More particularly, since the Matrimonial Ca ...

. However, these proceedings were withdrawn before Barry joined the armed forces to take part in the First World War: he was killed at the Somme in October 1916. In 1921 Minto married Capt. Robert Geoffrey Buxton (formerly Heinekey), whose family had interests in the Malayan rubber industry. As with her first wedding, the groom's family knew nothing about the wedding until it had taken place. In June 1922 she had to postpone an extensive tour of the far east with her husband after an operation to remove her appendix. They had no children, and Buxton divorced her in 1928 on grounds of infidelity. In 1930 she was fined for contempt of court after failing to appear at a hearing relating to non-payment of a tradesman's bill (the tradesman was an engineer in Steyning, Sussex, where her daughter was living). There is little record of her life after the mid-1930s. She died in Chelsea on 6 December 1957.UK General Register Office, deaths register, vol. 5c, p.404 - named as Dorothy Buxton or Barry. Age at death is given as 71.

Selected stage roles

ca. 1903/4 * ''Hamlet'' (Shakespeare) Second Gravedigger 1904 * ''The Power of Darkness'' (Leo Tolstoy) Nan 1905 * ''The First Franciscans'' (William Poel) Peasant Girl * ''Romeo and Juliet'' (William Shakespeare) Juliet * ''The Wild Duck'' (Henrik Ibsen) Hedwig Ekdal * ''Major Barbara'' (George Bernard Shaw) Jenny Hill * ''The Faithful Lover'' (William Poel) ? 1906 * ''The School for Husbands'' (Molière/Charles Macklin) Clarissa Huntleigh * ''Prunella'' (or Love in a Dutch Garden) (Laurence Housman/Granville Barker) Prunella * ''Olf and the Little Maid'' (

M. E. Francis M. E. Francis was the pen name of Mary Elizabeth Blundell (née Sweetman; 1859 – 9 March 1930) who was a prolific Irish novelist. She was described as the best known woman novelist of the day. Biography Mary Elizabeth Sweetman was born at Ki ...

) Kitty * ''Tribute to Ellen Terry'' (?) French court lady * ''You Never Can Tell'' (George Bernard Shaw) Dolly Clandon * ''Robin Hood'' (William Devereux & Henry Hamilton) Adela (Maid Marian's attendant) 1907 * ''The Philanderer'' (George Bernard Shaw) Sylvia Craven * ''Votes For Women!'' (Elizabeth Robins) Ernestine Blunt * ''The Return of the Prodigal'' (St. John Hankin) Stella Faringford * ''Mr. Steinmann's Corner'' (Alfred Sutro) Nora * ''David Ballard'' (

Charles McEvoy Charles McEvoy (1879–1929) was a British playwright and stage director. He was originally a journalist before switching to creative writing in 1907, becoming known for his realism. His 1923 play ''The Likes of Her'' was adapted into a 1931 fil ...

) Mercy Hainton * ''Joy'' (John Galsworthy) Joy 1908 * ''The Merchant of Venice'' (William Shakespeare) Nerissa * ''The Dog Between'' (Laurence Irving) wife * ''The Duke's Motto'' (Justin H. McCarthy) Flora * ''Peter Pan'' (J.M. Barrie) Tootles 1910 * ''Old Friends'' (J.M. Barrie) Carry * ''Chains'' (Elizabeth Baker) Sybil Frost * ''Vision of Delight'' (Ben Jonson) ? * ''Lysistrata'' (Aristophanes) Myrrhina * ''Just To Get Married'' (Cicely Mary Hamilton) Daphne Grayle * ''The Merciful Soul'' (Laurence Alma Tadema) Fiordelisa 1911 * ''An Episode'' (?) Bianca * ''Fanny's First Play'' (George Bernard Shaw) Dora Delaney * ''The First Actress'' (Christopher St. John) Mrs. Kitty Clive 1912 * ''The Grass Widows'' (Gustave Kerker) Betty Baker * ''Where There's A Will'' (Bernard Parry) Dolly Graham * ''Hullo, Rag-Time!'' (Louis Hirsch) ? 1913 * ''8d-a-Mile, 8d-a-Mile'' (?) ? * ''The Real Thing'' (

Catherine Chisholm Cushing Catherine Chisholm Cushing (April 15, 1874 — October 19, 1952) was an American writer of songs, librettos, and plays, best known for her 1916 stage adaptation of Eleanor H. Porter's '' Pollyanna''. Early life Catherine Chisholm was born in Moun ...

) Lulu 1914 * ''Things We'd Like to Know'' (Monckton Hoffe) Dorothy Gedge * ''An Indian Summer'' (Mrs. Horlick) Ursula * ''The Glad Eye'' (Paul Armont) Kiki 1915 * ''A Chinese Honeymoon'' (George Dance) Fifi * ''Watch Your Step'' (Irving Berlin) Iona Ford 1916 * ''School For Scandal'' (Richard Brinsley Sheridan) ? * ''More'' (?) ? * ''Pell Mell'' (Morris Harvey/Nat Ayer/Fred Thompson) Typist, office boy, mother, etc. 1917 * ''Double Dutch'' (Laurence Cowen) Miena * ''Wild Heather'' (Dorothy Brandon) Dolly Thompson * ''The Admirable Crichton'' (J.M. Barrie) Gladys * ''The Happy Family'' (Cecil Aldin) Melisande Stubbins 1918 * ''Nothing But The Truth'' (James Montgomery) Mabel Jackson 1920 (all with the Grand Guignol company) * ''Husbands For All'' (Gertrude Jennings) Jemima * ''G.H.Q. Love'' (Sewell Collins) Lily * ''Oh! Hell!!'' (Reginald Arkell & Russell Thorndike) ? * ''What Did her Husband Say?'' (H.F. Maltby) 'Her' * ''A Man In Mary's Room'' (Gladys Unger) Victoria * ''The Tragedy of Mr. Punch - a fantastic play in prologue and one act'' (Russell Thorndike) Polly 1921 * ''The Person Unknown'' (H.F. Maltby) Mary (with Guignol) * ''A Christmas Carol'' (Russell Thorndike, from Dickens) Sarah Cratchit * ''Nightie Night'' (Martha M. Stanley & Adelaide Matthews) Trixie Lorraine * ''The Hotel Mouse'' (Guy Bolton; orig. play Marcel Gerbidon & Paul Armont) Mauricette 1922 * ''Nightie Night'' (Martha M. Stanley & Adelaide Matthews) Trixie Lorraine (revival of 1921 play) 1923 (both as 'actress-manageress') * ''The Piccadilly Puritan'' (Gertie de S. Wentworth James & Lechmere Worrall) Alice * ''Eliza Comes To Stay'' (H.V. Esmond) Eliza 1924 * ''The Blue Peter'' (E. Temple Thurston) Rosie Callaghan 1925 * ''The Wishing Well'' (Grace Richardson) 'vulgar Cockney' 1926 * ''His Wild Oat'' (Sydney Blow & Douglas Hoare, orig. "Dis Que C'est Toi") Dou Dou Delville 1927 * ''Wild-Cat Hetty'' (aka ''Hell-Cat Hetty'') ( Florence Kilpatrick) Hetty * ''Good Morning, Bill!'' (P.G. Wodehouse) Lottie 1928 * ''Who's Who?'' (Roland Daniel & Clifford Poultney) Zita Lorton * ''Quest'' (Ralph Stock) Alice Bolton 1930 * ''The Double Man'' (Val Gielgud) ? * ''Fourth Floor Heaven'' (Kathleen D. Hewitt) Stella Dallas * ''Search'' (Ralph Stock & Terence de Marney) Charlotte 1931 * ''Two Deep'' (Sydney Blow) Rosemary * ''Port Said'' (Emlyn Williams) Edith 1932 * ''Too True to be Good'' (George Bernard Shaw) ? 1933 * ''Vessels Departing'' (Emlyn Williams - adaptation of ''Port Said'') Edith?

Filmography

1916 * ''Bored'' (short, comedy, d. Harry Buss) The Girl 1918 * ''

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'' (romantic drama, d. Kenelm Foss) Lottie Price 1919 * '' A Little Bit of Fluff'' (comedy, d. Kenelm Foss) Mamie Scott * ''

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'' (comedy, d. Kenelm Foss) Mrs. Giles 1920 * ''The Glad Eye'' (comedy, d. Kenelm Foss, James Reardon) Kiki 1922 * ''

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'' (historical drama, d. G.B.Samuelson) Betsy Rudd 1930 * '' Raise the Roof'' (musical comedy, d. Walter Summers) Juanita * '' Children of Chance'' (crime, d. Alexander Esway) Sally 1935 * ''

Inside the Room ''Inside the Room'' is a 1935 British mystery film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Austin Trevor, Dorothy Boyd and George Hayes. It was shot at Twickenham Studios in west London London is the capital and List of urban areas ...

'' (crime, d. Leslie S. Hiscott) Lilian Hope 1936 * ''Broken Blossoms'' (drama, d. John Brahm) Woman

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Minto, Dorothy 1886 births 1957 deaths English stage actresses English film actresses English silent film actresses 20th-century English actresses