Florence Ashbrooke (about 1861 – February 20, 1934) was an actress on the London and New York stages, and in silent films.
Early life and education
Ashbrooke was born to British parents in India or the East Indies, or in England,
[When she married George T. Ducrow in 1889, she gave the name Eleanor Lugannagh, and said that she was married once before and a widow; also that she was born April 13, 1864, in England. Pennsylvania U. S. Marriages, Allegheny County, 1889, via Ancestry.] and educated in Dublin.
Career
Ashbrooke began her acting career in England. She was a dancer with the
Gaiety Company in London as a young woman.
She acted on the New York stage and toured in plays in North America, with credits in ''The Twelve Temptations'' (1889), ''The Ice King'' (1890), ''McKenna's Flirtation'' (1892), ''Dolly Varden'' (1893), ''Blue Grass'' (1894),
''When London Sleeps'' (1896),
''An Irish Gentleman'' (1897),
''A Young Wife'' (1900), ''Why Women Sin'' (1903), ''Her Mad Marriage'' (1904), and ''At the Old Cross Roads'' (1908). The ''Omaha Bee'' described Ashbrooke in 1890'','' as "a much stronger woman than you usually see in farces" with a "handsome figure, a well modulated voice, and an art which shows a most excellent school."
Ashbrooke appeared in dozens of silent films between 1911 and 1923, including an adaptation of ''
Vanity Fair'' (1911), ''
The First Woman Jury in America
''The First Woman Jury in America'' is a 1912 American silent film. It was written by suffragist Alma Webster Hall Powell, and produced by Vitagraph Studios. It stars John Bunny, Flora Finch, and Earle Williams
Earle Williams (born Earle Rap ...
'' (1912), ''
The Cross Roads'' (1912), ''
The Forgotten Latchkey
''The Forgotten Latchkey'' is an American silent comedy film.
Plot
Mr. and Mrs. Burton are staying at the residence of their friends the Moores. The Moores leave to visit Mrs. Moore's mother, and leave a key for the Burtons, who are going out to ...
'' (1913), ''
The Ragged Princess
''The Ragged Princess'' is a 1916 American silent comedy drama film directed by John G. Adolfi and starring June Caprice, Harry Hilliard, and Richard Neill.Solomon p. 236
Cast
* June Caprice as Alicia Jones
* Harry Hilliard as Harry Deigan
...
'' (1916), ''
On Dangerous Ground
''On Dangerous Ground'' is a 1951 film noir-melodrama starring Robert Ryan and Ida Lupino, directed by Nicholas Ray, and produced by John Houseman. The screenplay was written by A. I. Bezzerides based on the 1945 novel ''Mad with Much Heart,'' ...
'' (1917), ''
The Scarlet Letter
''The Scarlet Letter: A Romance'' is a work of historical fiction by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne, published in 1850. Set in the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony during the years 1642 to 1649, the novel tells the story of Hester Prynne, ...
'' (1917),
''
The Lone Wolf The Lone Wolf may refer to:
* ''The Lone Wolf'', a 1914 novel by Louis Joseph Vance
Louis Joseph Vance (September 19, 1879 – December 16, 1933) was an American novelist, screenwriter and film producer. He created the popular character M ...
'' (1917), ''
Peggy, the Will O' the Wisp'' (1917), ''
Blue-Eyed Mary'' (1918),
''
Swat the Spy
''Swat the Spy'' is a 1918 American silent comedy-drama film directed by Arvid E. Gillstrom and starring Jane Lee, Katherine Lee, Charles Slattery, Pat Hartigan, and Florence Ashbrooke. The film was released by Fox Film Corporation on September ...
'' (1918),
''
The Woman on the Index'' (1919), ''An Amateur Widow'' (1919), ''
A Stage Romance
''A Stage Romance'' is a 1922 American silent historical drama film directed by Herbert Brenon and starring William Farnum, Peggy Shaw, and Holmes Herbert.Solomon, p. 276
It is an adaptation of the play ''Kean'' by Alexandre Dumas about the ad ...
'' (1922), and ''
Big Brother'' (1923). She was a member of the Motion Picture section of the
Actors' Equity Association
The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing those who work in live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions without a boo ...
in 1921.
Personal life
Ashbrooke described herself as a widow when she married actor and circus clown
Tote Du Crow in 1889;
they separated in 1904, and divorced in 1909. She died in 1934, in Los Angeles, probably in her seventies.
References
External links
*
Portrait of Florence Ashbrooke from about 1888 an
a full-length photo both by Max Platz, in the collection of the
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one o ...
Libraries
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashbrooke, Florence
Silent film actresses
1934 deaths
1860s births