Edward O'Connor Terry (10 March 1844 – 2 April 1912) was an English actor, who became one of the most influential actors and comedians of the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...

Life and career

Terry was born in London, allegedly the illegitimate son of

Feargus O'Connor Feargus Edward O'Connor (18 July 1796 – 30 August 1855) was an Irish Chartist leader and advocate of the Land Plan, which sought to provide smallholdings for the labouring classes. A highly charismatic figure, O'Connor was admired for his ...

, Irish Chartist leader and advocate of the land plan. The younger Terry made his debut in 1863 as Wormwood in ''The Lottery Ticket''. He began his stage career in small companies in the provinces playing in Shakespeare with the young

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 ( ...

and sometimes in pieces employing his singing talents."Edward Terry Dead; Noted English Actor; Comedian, with Career of 49 Years"
''The New York Times'', 3 April 1912, p. 13 In 1867, Terry played for a season at London's

Surrey Theatre The Surrey Theatre, London began life in 1782 as the Royal Circus and Equestrian Philharmonic Academy, one of the many circuses that provided entertainment of both horsemanship and drama (hippodrama). It stood in Blackfriars Road, near the jun ...

in both comedy and drama. Between 1868 and 1875, he was the leading comedian at the

Royal Strand Theatre The Royal Strand Theatre was located in the Strand in the City of Westminster. The theatre was built on the site of a panorama in 1832, and in 1882 was rebuilt by the prolific theatre architect Charles J. Phipps. It was demolished in 1905 to ma ...

in London. He reached the peak of his popularity after he joined

John Hollingshead John Hollingshead (9 September 1827 – 9 October 1904) was an English theatrical impresario, journalist and writer during the latter half of the 19th century. After a journalism career, Hollingshead managed the Alhambra Theatre and was later th ...

's company at the

Gaiety Theatre, London The Gaiety Theatre was a West End theatre in London, located on Aldwych at the eastern end of the Strand. The theatre was first established as the Strand Musick Hall in 1864 on the former site of the Lyceum Theatre. In 1868, it became known a ...

in 1876, starring in the musical burlesques produced there during the next eight years. With

Nellie Farren Ellen "Nellie" Farren (16 April 1848 – 29 April 1904) was an English actress and singer best known for her roles as the "principal boy" in musical burlesques at the Gaiety Theatre. Born into a theatrical family, Farren began acting as a ch ...

Kate Vaughan Kate Vaughan (1852 – 21 February 1903) was the stage name of Catherine Alice Candelin, a British dancer and actress. She was best known for developing the skirt dance and has been called the "greatest dancer of her time".St Johnston, pp. 170� ...

and

E. W. Royce Edward William Royce (11 August 1841 – 24 January 1926) was a British actor, singer and dancer noted for playing in Victorian burlesque at London's Gaiety Theatre, London, Gaiety Theatre, usually alongside Nelly Farren, Edward O'Connor Terry an ...

, he made the fortune of this house, his eccentric acting and singing creating a style which had many imitators. Some of the roles in which he appeared there included Mephistopheles in ''Little Doctor Faust'' (1878). In 1887 he went into

management Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

, opening

Terry's Theatre Terry's Theatre was a West End theatre in the Strand, in the City of Westminster, London. Built in 1887, it became a cinema in 1910 before being demolished in 1923. History The theatre was built in 1887, near Fountain's Court, on the site of a ...

, built on the site of the old

Coal Hole A coal hole is a hatch in the pavement (sidewalk, in US usage) above an underground coal bunker. They are sometimes found outside houses that existed during the period when coal was widely used for domestic heating from the early 19th century t ...

public house and music hall on the Strand. There, he produced and starred as Dick Phenyl in

Arthur Wing Pinero Sir Arthur Wing Pinero (24 May 185523 November 1934) was an English playwright and, early in his career, actor. Pinero was drawn to the theatre from an early age, and became a professional actor at the age of 19. He gained experience as a supp ...

's ''

Sweet Lavender ''Sweet Lavender'' is a play in three acts by Arthur Wing Pinero, first performed in 1888. The sentimental and gently humorous story concerns the romance of Lavender Rolt and Clement Hale, and the complications impeding the course of true love. ...

'', which was perhaps his greatest success, running for 670 nights. He then revived Pinero's '' The Magistrate'' and ''The Times''. In subsequent years, he was only occasionally seen at his own theatre and made many tours in the British provinces and in Australia, North and South America, South Africa and India. He returned to Terry's in 1890, producing and starring in ''King Kodak'', ''The Blue Boar'' and several other notable productions. Terry brought four plays to New York in 1904. In this, his only

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 ...

engagement, he and his

touring company Touring may refer to: Travel Vehicles * Touring cars, an open car * "Touring", the estate/wagon version of Ford cars * Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera, Italian automobile coachbuilder Tourism * Bicycle touring, self-contained cycling trips * ...

played the former Princess Theatre on West 29th St. for eight weeks from December 1904 to February 1905, in ''The House of Burnside'', ''Sweet Lavender'', ''Love in Idleness'', and ''The Passport''. Terry married twice; his first marriage was to Ellen Seitz in 1870. He married his second wife, Florence, Lady Harris, widow of

Augustus Harris Sir Augustus Henry Glossop Harris (18 March 1852 – 22 June 1896) was a British actor, impresario, and dramatist, a dominant figure in the West End theatre of the 1880s and 1890s. Born into a theatrical family, Harris briefly pursued a comme ...

, in 1904.Taylor, C. M. P
"Terry, Edward O'Connor (1844–1912), actor and theatre proprietor"
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004. Retrieved 12 May 2020 Off the stage, he was a

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

and served on the councils of many charities and of public bodies. Terry died of

neuritis Neuritis () is inflammation of a nerve or the general inflammation of the peripheral nervous system. Inflammation, and frequently concomitant demyelination, cause impaired transmission of neural signals and leads to aberrant nerve function. Neurit ...

at his home in

Barnes Barnes may refer to: People * Barnes (name), a family name and a given name (includes lists of people with that name) Places United Kingdom *Barnes, London, England **Barnes railway station ** Barnes Bridge railway station ** Barnes Railway Bri ...

, England, at the age of 68.

Notes

References

*Hollingshead, John.
''Gaiety Chronicles''
(1898) A. Constable & co.: London *Hollingshead, John. ''Good Old Gaiety: An Historiette & Remembrance'' (1903) London:Gaity Theatre Co * Mantle, Burns and Garrison P. Sherwood, eds., ''The Best Plays of 1899-1909'', (Philadelphia: The Blakiston Company), 1944. *

External links

Photograph of the young Terry
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Terry, Edward O'Connor English male stage actors 1844 births 1912 deaths 19th-century English male actors Actor-managers English Freemasons