Mary Ellaline Terriss, Lady Hicks (born Mary Ellaline Lewin, 13 April 1871 – 16 June 1971), known professionally as Ellaline Terriss, was a popular British actress and singer, best known for her performances in
Edwardian musical comedies
Edwardian musical comedy was a form of British musical theatre that extended beyond the reign of King Edward VII in both directions, beginning in the early 1890s, when the Gilbert and Sullivan operas' dominance had ended, until the rise of the A ...
. She met and married the actor-producer
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 1893, and the two collaborated on many projects for the stage and screen.
The daughter of the actor
William Terriss
William Terriss (20 February 1847 – 16 December 1897), born as William Charles James Lewin, was an English actor, known for his swashbuckling hero roles, such as Robin Hood, as well as parts in classic dramas and comedies. He was also a nota ...
, Ellaline made her London stage debut at the age of 16 in ''Cupid's Messenger'' at London's
Haymarket Theatre
The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre on Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foote ...
. Impressed with her performance, the producer
Charles Wyndham gave her a three-year contract, under which she first played Madge in ''Why Women Weep''. In 1892 Terriss starred in ''Faithful James'' (by
B. C. Stephenson) and the following year she starred in the title role of ''Cinderella'', produced by
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 ( ...
. She was featured in
W. S. Gilbert
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (18 November 1836 – 29 May 1911) was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his collaboration with composer Arthur Sullivan, which produced fourteen comic operas. The most f ...
's ''
His Excellency
Excellency is an honorific style (manner of address), style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder ...
'' in 1894, followed the next year by a starring role in the
George Edwardes
George Joseph Edwardes (né Edwards; 8 October 1855 – 4 October 1915) was an English theatre manager and producer of Irish ancestry who brought a new era in musical theatre to the British stage and beyond.
Edwardes started out in theatre ma ...
production of the musical ''
The Shop Girl
''The Shop Girl'' was a musical comedy in two acts (described by the author as a musical farce) written by H. J. W. Dam, with Lyrics by Dam and Adrian Ross and music by Ivan Caryll, and additional numbers by Lionel Monckton and Ross. It premier ...
'', playing alongside her husband. The next year she starred in another musical hit, ''
The Circus Girl
''The Circus Girl'' is a musical comedy in two acts by James T. Tanner and Walter Apllant (Palings), with lyrics by Harry Greenbank and Adrian Ross, music by Ivan Caryll, and additional music by Lionel Monckton.[A Runaway Girl
''A Runaway Girl'' is a musical comedy in two acts written in 1898 by Seymour Hicks and Harry Nicholls. The composer was Ivan Caryll, with additional music by Lionel Monckton and lyrics by Aubrey Hopwood and Harry Greenbank. It was produced b ...]
'' in 1898, one of her most successful shows. In the 1900s, she starred in a series of long-running hits, including ''
Bluebell in Fairyland'' (1901), ''
Quality Street'' (1902), ''
The Catch of the Season
''The Catch of the Season'' is an Edwardian musical comedy by Seymour Hicks and Cosmo Hamilton, with music by Herbert Haines and Evelyn Baker and lyrics by Charles H. Taylor, based on the fairy tale Cinderella. A debutante is engaged to a young ...
'' (1905) and ''
The Beauty of Bath
''The Beauty of Bath'' is a musical comedy with a book by Seymour Hicks and Cosmo Hamilton, lyrics by Charles H. Taylor (lyricist), C. H. Taylor and music by Herbert Haines; additional songs were provided by Jerome Kern (lyrics and music), F. Cli ...
'' (1906). After 1910, Terriss concentrated on comedy roles and
music hall
Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...
tours. Her unsuccessful return to musical comedy, ''Cash on Delivery'' (1917), confirmed the wisdom of this new career course.
Her later career also included film roles. She began in the silent films ''
Scrooge'' and ''
David Garrick
David Garrick (19 February 1717 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil and friend of Sa ...
'' (both from 1913) and made a successful transfer to
talkies
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...
; her last film was ''
The Four Just Men'' in 1939. She died in Hampstead, England, at the age of 100.
Early life
Terriss was born in
Port Stanley
Stanley (; also known as Port Stanley) is the capital city of the Falkland Islands. It is located on the island of East Falkland, on a north-facing slope in one of the wettest parts of the islands. At the 2016 census, the city had a populat ...
,
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouzet ...
.
[Taylor, C.M.P]
Terriss, Ellaline. ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''
Oxford University Press, accessed 7 January 2012.
Her father,
William Lewin, became a well-known actor in London under the name William Terriss. He loved the adventurous, outdoor life, and had previously tried his hand at various professions, including farmer, merchant seaman and silver miner. Shortly after Ellaline's birth, he gave up farming and moved his family back to England where, because of his swashbuckling style, was known as "Breezy Bill". Her brother
Tom became an actor and then a well-known film director. Her mother Isabel (née Lewis) also acted under the stage name Amy Fellowes.
[
]
Early career
Terriss performed from an early age, although she had no real ambition to act professionally.[ In 1887, she appeared in pantomime at the Alexandra Theatre, ]Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
. Petite, pretty and talented, she attracted the praise of both critics and the public.[ She came to the attention of ]Herbert Beerbohm Tree
Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (17 December 1852 – 2 July 1917) was an English actor and theatre manager.
Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre in the West End, winning praise for adventurous progra ...
, who signed her to make her professional London debut in the role of Mary Herbert in ''Cupid's Messenger'', in 1888 at the Haymarket Theatre
The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre on Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foote ...
.[ Impressed by this performance, Charles Wyndham gave her a three-year contract, under which she first played Madge in ''Why Women Weep''.][ She also attracted the attention of a promising young actor, ]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 ...
, and they married in 1893.[
In 1892, Terriss starred in ''Faithful James'', by ]B.C. Stephenson
Benjamin Charles Stephenson or B. C. Stephenson (1839 – 22 January 1906) was an English dramatist, lyricist and librettist. After beginning a career in the civil service, he started to write for the theatre, using the pen name "Bolton Row ...
, with Brandon Thomas Brandon Thomas may refer to:
*Brandon Thomas (playwright) (1848–1914), English actor and playwright who wrote the hit farce, ''Charley's Aunt''
*Brandon Thomas (musician) (born 1980), American rock band singer
*Brandon Thomas (American football), ...
at the Court Theatre.[Terriss, Ellaline. ''Who Was Who'', A & C Black, 1920–2008; online edition, Oxford University Press, December 2007, accessed 7 January 2012 (subscription required)] In December 1893, Terriss starred in the title role in the successful and famously lavish version of the "fairy pantomime" ''Cinderella'', produced by 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 ( ...
with music by Oscar Barrett. Toward the end of the run, Hicks took over the role of Thisbe, one of Cinderella's half-sisters. They brought this production to America under the management of George Edwardes
George Joseph Edwardes (né Edwards; 8 October 1855 – 4 October 1915) was an English theatre manager and producer of Irish ancestry who brought a new era in musical theatre to the British stage and beyond.
Edwardes started out in theatre ma ...
. The following season, Terriss played a supporting role in the W.S. Gilbert
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (18 November 1836 – 29 May 1911) was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his collaboration with composer Arthur Sullivan, which produced fourteen comic operas. The most f ...
and Frank Osmond Carr
Frank Osmond Carr (23 April 1858 – 29 August 1916), known as F. Osmond Carr, was an English composer who wrote the music for several Victorian burlesques before turning to the new genre of Edwardian musical comedy, and also composing some comic ...
comic opera
Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue.
Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a ne ...
''His Excellency
Excellency is an honorific style (manner of address), style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder ...
''.[
In 1895, Terriss was a replacement in the original London production of George Edwardes's hit, '']The Shop Girl
''The Shop Girl'' was a musical comedy in two acts (described by the author as a musical farce) written by H. J. W. Dam, with Lyrics by Dam and Adrian Ross and music by Ivan Caryll, and additional numbers by Lionel Monckton and Ross. It premier ...
'', joining her husband as co-star.[ They toured America in 1895, where they befriended the American novelist ]Richard Harding Davis
Richard Harding Davis (April 18, 1864 – April 11, 1916) was an American journalist and writer of fiction and drama, known foremost as the first American war correspondent to cover the Spanish–American War, the Second Boer War, and the First ...
. At the instance of Gilbert, Hicks wrote a drama called ''One of the Best'', a vehicle for Terriss's father William Terriss at the Adelphi Theatre
The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...
, based on the famous Dreyfus trial
The Dreyfus affair (french: affaire Dreyfus, ) was a political scandal that divided the French Third Republic from 1894 until its resolution in 1906. "L'Affaire", as it is known in French, has come to symbolise modern injustice in the Francop ...
. The Hickses were frequent guests of Gilbert at his estate in Grim's Dyke
Grim's Dyke (sometimes called Graeme's Dyke until late 1891)How, Harry ''The Strand Magazine'', Vol. 2, October 1891, pp. 330–41, reprinted at ''The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive'', 20 November 2011 is a house and estate in Harrow Weald, in nort ...
. Terriss next played the title role, May, in ''My Girl'' (1896 at the Gaiety). Another early success for the young couple was ''The Circus Girl
''The Circus Girl'' is a musical comedy in two acts by James T. Tanner and Walter Apllant (Palings), with lyrics by Harry Greenbank and Adrian Ross, music by Ivan Caryll, and additional music by Lionel Monckton.[Lionel Monckton
Lionel John Alexander Monckton (18 December 1861 – 15 February 1924) was an English composer of musical theatre. He became Britain's most popular composer of Edwardian musical comedy in the early years of the 20th century.
Life and career
...]
's song, "A Simple Little String" into a major hit).[
]
Tragedy and triumph
In December 1897, while Terriss was still playing in ''The Circus Girl'', two tragedies befell her. Her father was stabbed to death by a deranged and disgruntled unemployed actor, Richard Archer Prince, as he was about to enter the stage door of the Royal Adelphi Theatre. Her mother died shortly afterwards.[
The murder, and Prince's trial, filled the country's newspapers for weeks. Already the most popular couple on the London stage, Terriss and Hicks received an outpouring of sympathy. They moved on, becoming even more famous over the next decade.][ She next starred in the title role of a new show co-authored by Hicks, '']A Runaway Girl
''A Runaway Girl'' is a musical comedy in two acts written in 1898 by Seymour Hicks and Harry Nicholls. The composer was Ivan Caryll, with additional music by Lionel Monckton and lyrics by Aubrey Hopwood and Harry Greenbank. It was produced b ...
'' (1898), which became one of the Gaiety Theatre's most successful shows. This was followed by ''With Flying Colours'' (1899).[ The couple adopted a daughter, Mabel, in 1889, and Terriss gave birth to another child, Betty, in 1904.][
In early 1900, the Hickses played in their 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 ...
show together, ''My Daughter-in-law'', at the Frohman brothers' old Lyceum Theatre. They then joined forces with the producer 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, in his company over a period of seven years, they played the leads in a series of musicals written by Hicks, including: '' Bluebell in Fairyland'' (1901), which was continually revived as a Christmas entertainment for the next four decades; '' The Cherry Girl'' (1902); ''The Beauty of Bath
''The Beauty of Bath'' is a musical comedy with a book by Seymour Hicks and Cosmo Hamilton, lyrics by Charles H. Taylor (lyricist), C. H. Taylor and music by Herbert Haines; additional songs were provided by Jerome Kern (lyrics and music), F. Cli ...
'' (1906), which opened the Hicks Theatre (later renamed the Globe) and included additional lyrics by a newcomer, P.G. Wodehouse
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, ( ; 15 October 188114 February 1975) was an English author and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Jee ...
, and music by Jerome Kern
Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over ...
, which became one of Terriss's best-loved roles; and '' The Gay Gordons'' (1907).[
Hicks and Terriss also starred in ]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 succe ...
's play '' Quality Street'' in 1902.[ At that time, they moved to a new home, the Old Forge, at ]Merstham
Merstham is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead in Surrey, England. It lies 25 miles south of Charing Cross and 2 miles south of the Greater London border. Part of the North Downs Way runs along the northern boundary of the town. Mers ...
, Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
. Their cul-de-sac was renamed "Quality Street".
Later career
The couple performed constantly, both in London and on tour in America, except when Terriss was pregnant with Betty. In 1905, Terriss took over the role of Angela in her husband's ''The Catch of the Season
''The Catch of the Season'' is an Edwardian musical comedy by Seymour Hicks and Cosmo Hamilton, with music by Herbert Haines and Evelyn Baker and lyrics by Charles H. Taylor, based on the fairy tale Cinderella. A debutante is engaged to a young ...
'', which had been created by Zena Dare
Zena Dare (born Florence Hariette Zena Dones; 4 February 1887 – 11 March 1975) was an English singer and actress who was famous for her performances in Edwardian musical comedy and other musical theatre and comedic plays in the first half of ...
during Terriss's pregnancy.[ Later Terriss ceded the role to Dare's sister, ]Phyllis
Phyllis is a feminine given name which may refer to:
People
* Phyllis Bartholomew (1914–2002), English long jumper
* Phyllis Drummond Bethune (née Sharpe, 1899–1982), New Zealand artist
* Phyllis Calvert (1915–2002), British actress
* P ...
.
In 1907, Terriss reduced the grueling acting schedule she had kept up for almost twenty years, although she continued to appear in a limited number of plays, including ''The Dashing Little Duke'' (1909; with C. Hayden Coffin
Charles Hayden Coffin (22 April 1862 – 8 December 1935) was an English actor and singer known for his performances in many famous Edwardian musical comedies, particularly those produced by George Edwardes.
Hayden achieved fame as Harry Sher ...
, Courtice Pounds
Charles Courtice Pounds (30 May 1861 Gänzl, Kurt"Pounds of Pyes, or mea culpa No. 2" Kurt Gänzl's blog, 4 May 2018. Note that hibirth registrationis in central London in the third quarter of 1861 – 21 December 1927), better known by the sta ...
and Louie Pounds
Louisa Emma Amelia "Louie" Pounds (12 February 1872 – 6 September 1970) was an English singer and actress, known for her performances in musical comedies and in mezzo-soprano roles with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company.
Originally intended for ...
), which was less successful.[ She played the title role in that production (a woman disguised as a man). When she missed several performances due to illness, Hicks played the role – possibly the only case in the history of professional musical theatre where a husband succeeded to his wife's role.
After the failure of ''Captain Kidd'' (1910),][ Hicks and Terriss concentrated on comedy roles and ]music hall
Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...
tours, including a tour of South Africa in 1911 and later a tour of France following the outbreak of World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, to give concerts to British troops at the front. Their unsuccessful return to musical comedy, ''Cash on Delivery'' (1917), confirmed the wisdom of their new career course.[ After 1917, Terriss returned to the stage only on special occasions. In December 1925, she appeared at the Lyceum with her husband in ''The Man in Dress Clothes'', a French farce he had translated and in which their daughter made her stage debut.][ It was intended only to run for a short season, but it was such a success that its run was extended. "The Theatre World" reported in January 1926:
]
Film career
Terriss appeared in over a dozen British films, generally in which her husband was involved as an actor, writer or director.[ These included the ]silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...
s '' Scrooge'' (1913), ''David Garrick
David Garrick (19 February 1717 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil and friend of Sa ...
'' (1913), ''Flame of Passion'' (1915), ''A Woman of the World'' (1916), ''Masks and Faces'' (1918), ''Always Tell Your Wife'' (1923), ''Land of Hope and Glory
"Land of Hope and Glory" is a British patriotic song, with music by Edward Elgar written in 1901 and lyrics by A. C. Benson later added in 1902.
Composition
The music to which the words of the refrain 'Land of Hope and Glory, &c' below ar ...
'' (1927) and ''Blighty
"Blighty" is a British English slang term for Great Britain, or often specifically England. '' (1927).["Terriss, Ellaline"]
British Film Institute; accessed 7 January 2012.
She made a successful transition to talkies
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...
, including ''Atlantic'' (1929), ''A Man of Mayfair
''A Man of Mayfair'' is a 1932 British musical comedy film directed by Louis Mercanton and starring Jack Buchanan, Joan Barry and Warwick Ward.
Production
It was made at British and Dominions Elstree Studios by the British subsidiary of Param ...
'' (1931), ''Glamour'' (1931), '' The Iron Duke'' (1934), ''Royal Cavalcade
''Royal Cavalcade'', also known as ''Regal Cavalcade'', is a 1935 British, black-and-white, drama film directed by six separate directors: Thomas Bentley (Supervising Director), Herbert Brenon, Norman Lee, Walter Summers, W. P. Kellino and Mar ...
'' (1935) and '' The Four Just Men'' (1939).[
]
Retirement and death
In 1940, Terriss and Hicks went to the Middle East with "ENSA
The Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) was an organisation established in 1939 by Basil Dean and Leslie Henson to provide entertainment for British armed forces personnel during World War II. ENSA operated as part of the Navy, ...
", to entertain the British troops in World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.[ After the war, Terriss retired from the stage. She and Hicks moved to South Africa, where she took up painting and was tutored by the marine artist George Pilkington. So good were her works that an exhibition was held at Foyle's Art Gallery, London, in February 1959.][ Hicks, who was knighted in 1935, died in 1949, and Terriss survived him by 22 years.][ In 1952 she was a guest on '']Desert Island Discs
''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942.
Each week a guest, called a " castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight recordings (usu ...
'' on BBC Radio
BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering th ...
during which she stated that her luxury item would be a piano.Ellaline Terriss
''Desert Island Discs'', BBC, 24 June 1952 She was the subject of an episode of '' This Is Your Life'' in 1962.
Terriss died at the Holy Family Nursing Home, Hampstead
Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...
, London, at the age of 100 as a result of a hip fracture sustained during a fall.[
]
Notes
References
* Hicks, Seymour. ''Between Ourselves''. London: Cassell 1930
* Hicks, Seymour. ''Hail Fellow, Well Met'' 1949
* Hicks, Seymour. ''Me and My Missus''. London: Cassell 1939
* Hollingshead, John. ''Good Old Gaiety: An Historiette & Remembrance'' (1903) London:Gaity Theatre Co
* Terriss, Ellaline. ''Ellaline Terriss By Herself and with Others''. London: Cassell, 1928
* Terriss, Ellaline. ''Just a Little Bit of String''. London: Hutchinson & Co. 1955
External links
Photos, biography and press
Photos of Terriss
at ''Old Reigate – A Picture History"
"Ellaline Terriss"
at the IMDB
Photos and information about Hicks and Terriss's home at "Quality Street" in Merstham
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Terriss, Ellaline
1871 births
1971 deaths
Actresses from London
English women singers
English film actresses
English silent film actresses
English stage actresses
English centenarians
People associated with Gilbert and Sullivan
People from Stanley, Falkland Islands
20th-century English actresses
Falkland Islands women
Women centenarians
Wives of knights