Farren Soutar (born Joseph Farren Soutar; 17 February 1870 – 23 January 1962), was an English actor and singer who became known for his 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 Ame ...

in the West End and on

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 ...

. Later he acted in some serious plays. His mother was Nellie Farren, the famous principal boy in

Victorian burlesque Victorian burlesque, sometimes known as travesty or extravaganza, is a genre of theatrical entertainment that was popular in Victorian England and in the New York theatre of the mid-19th century. It is a form of parody in which a well-known oper ...

Early years

Born in

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

in London, he was the son of the actor, stage manager, and director Robert Soutar and the actress and singer Nellie Farren, known for her roles as the " principal boy" in musical burlesques at the Gaiety Theatre. His older brother was Henry Robert Soutar (1868–1928). A boyhood friend (and with whom he was later to work on the 1934 film '' The Iron Duke'') was

George Arliss George Arliss (born Augustus George Andrews; 10 April 1868 – 5 February 1946) was an English actor, author, playwright, and filmmaker who found success in the United States. He was the first British actor to win an Academy Award – which he ...

, for whom Soutar found his first acting job in 1886.

Acting career

A baritone leading man, he played a number of roles in

, including Bobbie Rivers in ''

A Gaiety Girl ''A Gaiety Girl'' is an English musical comedy in two acts by a team of musical comedy neophytes: Owen Hall (book, on an outline by James T. Tanner), Harry Greenbank (lyrics) and Sidney Jones (music). It opened at Prince of Wales Theatre in ...

'' (1894), Algernon St. Alban in ''

An Artist's Model ''An Artist's Model'' is a two-act musical by Owen Hall, with lyrics by Harry Greenbank and music by Sidney Jones, with additional songs by Joseph and Mary Watson, Paul Lincke, Frederick Ross, Henry Hamilton and Leopold Wenzel. It opened at Daly' ...

'' at the Lyric Theatre (1895), the

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its sub ...

''A Model Trilby; or, A Day or Two After Du Maurier'', based on the popular play ''

Trilby A trilby is a narrow-brimmed type of hat. The trilby was once viewed as the rich man's favored hat; it is sometimes called the "brown trilby" in Britain Roetzel, Bernhard (1999). ''Gentleman's Guide to Grooming and Style''. Barnes & Noble. and ...

'', staged at the

Opera Comique The Opera Comique was a 19th-century theatre constructed in Westminster, London, between Wych Street, Holywell Street and the Strand. It opened in 1870 and was demolished in 1902, to make way for the construction of the Aldwych and Kingsway. ...

and produced by his then-retired mother in 1895, Dick Cunningham in ''

The Geisha ''The Geisha, a story of a tea house'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts. The score was composed by Sidney Jones to a libretto by Owen Hall, with lyrics by Harry Greenbank. Additional songs were written by Lionel Monckton and James ...

'' at

Daly's Theatre Daly's Theatre was a theatre in the City of Westminster. It was located at 2 Cranbourn Street, just off Leicester Square. It opened on 27 June 1893, and was demolished in 1937. The theatre was built for and named after the American impresar ...

(1897),Farren Soutar on the Opera Scotland website
/ref> Lieut. Crosby in ''The Wrong Mr. Wright'' at the Strand Theatre (1899), Jack Hemingway in ''The Girl from Up There'' at the Lyceum Theatre on Broadway (1901), and Michael Brue in ''Sergeant Brue'' 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 ...

(1904). Further stage appearances included Tom Hatherton in

Howard Talbot Richard Lansdale Munkittrick, better known as Howard Talbot (9 March 1865 – 12 September 1928), was an American-born, English-raised conductor and composer of Irish descent. He was best known for writing the music to several hit Edwardian musi ...

's hit musical '' A Chinese Honeymoon'' at the

(1903), the Duke of St. Jermyns in '' The Catch of the Season'' at Daly's Theatre in New York (1905), and Hon. Raymond Finchley in ''

The Belle of Mayfair ''The Belle of Mayfair'' is a musical comedy composed by Leslie Stuart with a book by Basil Hood, Charles Brookfield and Cosmo Hamilton and lyrics by George Arthurs. The story is inspired by the Shakespeare play ''Romeo and Juliet''. The orig ...

'' at the

Vaudeville Theatre The Vaudeville Theatre is a West End theatre on the Strand in the City of Westminster. As the name suggests, the theatre held mostly vaudeville shows and musical revues in its early days. It opened in 1870 and was rebuilt twice, although each ...

(1906). In June 1906 he was one of a group notable comedians who took part in a ' Minstrel Entertainment' as part of the jubilee celebrations for

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 ...

. Now in his 40s, Soutar played the Hon. James Bendoyle in '' Peggy'' at the Casino Theatre in New York (1911), appeared in the London revues ''Review of Revues'' (1912), and ''Everybody's Doing It'' at the Empire Theatre (1912), acted in ''Who's the Lady?'' at the

Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play, ' ...

(1913), and played Stephen Gale in ''The Greatest Wish'' at the Garrick (1912–1913)."''A Midsummer Night's Dream''"
The

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

Theatre Collection, accessed 10 October 2013 In December 1914, during

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 ...

, Soutar was commissioned as a

2nd lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until 1 ...

in 8th Battalion,

Hampshire Regiment The Hampshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot and the 67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot. The regim ...

. After the war, he resumed his stage career, acting in ''Her Husband's Wife'' at the Globe Theatre (1920–1921), appearing in ''Bluebeard's Eighth Wife'' at the

Prince's Theatre, Bristol The Prince's Theatre was a theatre on Park Row in Bristol in England which was built in 1867 and was destroyed by bombing in 1940 in the Bristol Blitz during World War II. Owned by members of the Chute family for most of its existence, at one tim ...

(1923–1924), and two decades later was an extra in ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'' at the

Drury Lane Theatre The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Drur ...

(1944) and acted in '' A Midsummer Night's Dream'' at the Haymarket Theatre (1944–1945). His final recorded appearance was as Gentleman with gout in ''

Crime and Punishment ''Crime and Punishment'' ( pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform rus, Преступление и наказание, Prestupléniye i nakazániye, prʲɪstʊˈplʲenʲɪje ɪ nəkɐˈzanʲɪje) is a novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. ...

'' at the New Theatre (1946). Soutar also made three film appearances, all in 1934:

Metternich Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar, Prince of Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein ; german: Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar Fürst von Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein (15 May 1773 – 11 June 1859), known as Klemens von Metternich or Prince Metternic ...

in '' The Iron Duke'', Lord Louis in '' The Crucifix'', and John Hillcrest in '' The Black Abbot''.Farren Soutar
on the

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

Personal life

On 27 July 1908 Soutar married Edith May Hobson (1884–1954) at St. Paul's church in Hammersmith in London. In July 1921 Soutar began divorce proceedings against his wife claiming she had committed adultery with the actor Robert Leonard (1888–1948) during the run of the comedy ''Business Before Pleasure'' (1918–19) at the

Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy P ...

. The case was dismissed because of lack of any evidence of adultery. Following his wife's death in 1954 he married the actress Dorothy Lane (born 1890) in the same year. Soutar died, aged 91, on 23 January 1962 at

Cookham Cookham is a historic River Thames, Thames-side village and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the north-eastern edge of Berkshire, England, north-north-east of Maidenhead and opposite the village of Bourne End, Buckinghamshire, Bourne ...

in Berkshire. He was buried beside his mother in

Brompton Cemetery Brompton Cemetery (originally the West of London and Westminster Cemetery) is a London cemetery, managed by The Royal Parks, in West Brompton in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries. Establ ...

."Farren Soutar grave restored"
, Latest News,

The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America and the Theatre and Film Guild of Great Britain and America is a registered theatre charity and non-profit making theatre organisation based in London. The Guild's patrons include Brian Croucher ...

, 2 October 2014

References

External links

Postcard of Soutar
in the New York Public Library Digital Collections
Images of Soutar
on the National Portrait Gallery website
Farren Soutar
on the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...

website {{DEFAULTSORT:Soutar, Farren 1870 births 1962 deaths English male film actors English male stage actors English male musical theatre actors English operatic baritones Male actors from London Singers from London 19th-century English male actors 20th-century English male actors British Army personnel of World War I Burials at Brompton Cemetery Royal Hampshire Regiment officers