Florence Isabella Brandon, (15 December 1858 – 14 November 1912) known by her stage name Florence West, was an English actress, who created roles in new plays by

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

and

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 married the actor

Lewis Waller William Waller Lewis (3 November 1860 – 1 November 1915), known on stage as Lewis Waller, was an English actor and theatre manager, well known on the London stage and in the English provinces. After early stage experience with John Lawrence To ...

and frequently appeared with him in the West End and on tour until her retirement in 1905.

Life and career

Early years

West was born on 15 December 1858 in

Putney Putney () is a district of southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ancient paris ...

, near London, the eldest daughter of Horatio Brandon, a solicitor."Florence Isabella Brandon"
Ancestry.uk. Retrieved 18 April 2021 She married William Waller Lewis – later known as the actor

– in April 1882. They had a son and a daughter. Having, like her husband, played in amateur theatricals, she aimed for a professional career as an actress. She wrote to the actor-manager

J. L. Toole John Lawrence (J. L.) Toole (12 March 1830 – 30 July 1906) was an English comic actor, actor-manager and theatrical producer. He was famous for his roles in farce and in serio-comic melodramas, in a career that spanned more than four decades, ...

for advice; once he had assured himself that she was not, in his words, "a stage-struck damsel" but ready to learn her craft thoroughly, he took her into his company."Obituary", ''The Stage'', 21 November 1912, p. 26 She made her debut in 1883, in the leading role of Mary Belton in

H. J. Byron Henry James Byron (8 January 1835 – 11 April 1884) was a prolific English dramatist, as well as an editor, journalist, director, theatre manager, novelist and actor. After an abortive start at a medical career, Byron struggled as a provincial ...

's '' Uncle Dick's Darling'' at

Toole's Theatre Toole's Theatre, was a 19th-century West End theatre, West End building in William IV Street, near Charing Cross, in the City of Westminster. A succession of auditoria had occupied the site since 1832, serving a variety of functions, including ...

. After this, West played Mary Melrose in ''

Our Boys ''Our Boys'' is a comedy in three acts written by Henry James Byron, first performed in London on 16 January 1875 at the Vaudeville Theatre. Until it was surpassed by the run of ''Charley's Aunt'' in the 1890s, it was the world's longest-runn ...

'' on tour with

David James Dewi, Dai, Dafydd or David James may refer to: Performers *David James (actor, born 1839) (1839–1893), English stage comic and a founder of London's Vaudeville Theatre *David James (actor, born 1967) (born 1967), Australian presenter of ABC's ''P ...

. In a touring stage version of the novel '' Called Back'' she played Pauline. For a time she appeared with

Helena Modjeska Helena Modrzejewska (; born Jadwiga Benda; 12 October 1840 – 8 April 1909), known professionally as Helena Modjeska, was a Polish actress who specialized in Shakespearean and tragic roles. She was successful first on the Polish stage. After e ...

's company. With a touring company under her own direction she played Philippa Larfarge in ''Dark Days''. Subsequently she appeared with Fannie Leslie's company as Milly De Vere in ''Jack-in-the-Box'', first played in the provinces, and then brought to the Strand Theatre, London in February 1887. In the following July, West appeared at the

Prince of Wales's Theatre The Scala Theatre was a theatre in Charlotte Street, London, off Tottenham Court Road. The first theatre on the site opened in 1772, and the theatre was demolished in 1969, after being destroyed by fire. From 1865 to 1882, the theatre was kn ...

in a one-off performance of ''Obed Snow's Philanthropy''. She made what '' The Era'' called "a notable success" in

William Lestocq William Lestocq (born Lestock Boileau Wooldridge; 1852 – 16 October 1920) was a British theatre manager, playwright, and actor.(20 October 1920)William Lestocq (obituary) ''New York Tribune''(20 October 1920)William Lestocq is Dead ''The Evening ...

's ''In Danger'', produced 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 ...

in November 1887."Miss Florence West", ''The Era Almanack, 1897'', pp. 65–66 At the

Olympic Theatre The Olympic Theatre, sometimes known as the Royal Olympic Theatre, was a 19th-century London theatre, opened in 1806 and located at the junction of Drury Lane, Wych Street and Newcastle Street. The theatre specialised in comedies throughout m ...

in January 1888, West played May Edwards in A revival of

Tom Taylor Tom Taylor (19 October 1817 – 12 July 1880) was an English dramatist, critic, biographer, public servant, and editor of ''Punch'' magazine. Taylor had a brief academic career, holding the professorship of English literature and language a ...

's '' The Ticket-of-Leave Man''. She subsequently replaced Eva Sothern in ''The Mystery of a Hansom Cab'' at the

Princess's Theatre The Princess's Theatre or Princess Theatre was a theatre in Oxford Street Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch via Oxford Circus. It is Europ ...

. In ''To the Death'',

Rutland Barrington Rutland Barrington (15 January 1853 – 31 May 1922) was an English singer, actor, comedian and Edwardian musical comedy star. Best remembered for originating the lyric baritone roles in the Gilbert and Sullivan operas from 1877 to 1896, his ...

's adaptation of ''Mr. Barnes of New York'', produced at the Olympic in March 1888, West played Marita.

1890–1912

In the early 1890s West appeared in ''His Last Stake'' and ''The Still Alarm'' at the Princess's, ''Gladys, or, the Golden Key'', at the

Avenue Avenue or Avenues may refer to: Roads * Avenue (landscape), traditionally a straight path or road with a line of trees, in the shifted sense a tree line itself, or some of boulevards (also without trees) * Avenue Road, Bangalore * Avenue Road, ...

, ''A Convict's Wife'' at the Strand, ''My Lady Help'' at the

Shaftesbury Theatre The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden. Opened in 1911 as the New Prince's Theatre, it was the last theatre to be built in Shaftesbury Avenue. History The theatre was d ...

, ''The Henrietta'' at the Avenue, ''A Night's Frolic'' at the Strand, and ''The Scapegoat'', ''Gloriana'' and ''Mariana'' at the

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend, and gra ...

. After a break from acting, West appeared with Waller in 1894 in a provincial tour of ''The Profligate'' and ''A Woman of No Importance''. In the latter, she alternated the roles of Mrs Arbuthnot and Mrs Allonby with the company's other leading lady,

Dorothy Dene Dorothy Dene (1859 – 27 December 1899), born Ada Alice Pullen, was an English stage actress and artist's model for the painter Frederick Leighton and some of his associates. Dene was considered to have a classical face and figure and a f ...

. 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 ...

in January 1895 West created the role of Mrs Cheveley in the premiere of

's ''

An Ideal Husband ''An Ideal Husband'' is a four-act play by Oscar Wilde that revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches on the themes of public and private honour. It was first produced at the Haymarket Theatre, London in 1895 and ran for ...

''. Later in 1895 she played Mrs Thorpe Didsbury in ''The Home Secretary'', Kate Creegen in

Hall Caine Sir Thomas Henry Hall Caine (14 May 1853 – 31 August 1931), usually known as Hall Caine, was a British novelist, dramatist, short story writer, poet and critic of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Caine's popularity during ...

's ''The Manxman'' and Leah D'Acosta in ''A Woman's Reason'', at the Shaftesbury. At the same theatre she appeared with Waller and

Nina Boucicault Nina Boucicault (27 February 1867 – 2 August 1950) was an English actress born to playwright Dion Boucicault and his wife, actress Agnes Kelly Robertson. She had three brothers, Dion William (1855–1876), Dion Boucicault Jr. and Aubrey Bouc ...

in a new comedy, ''A Match-Maker'', before touring in ''A Woman's Reason'' in the latter part of 1896. In July 1897 she created the role of The Strange Lady in

's ''

The Man of Destiny ''The Man of Destiny'' is an 1897 play by George Bernard Shaw, set in Italy during the early career of Napoleon. It was published as a part of ''Plays Pleasant'', which also included ''Arms and the Man'', '' Candida'' and '' You Never Can Tell.' ...

'', and later that year appeared with her husband in

Sydney Grundy Sydney Grundy (23 March 1848 – 4 July 1914) was an English dramatist. Most of his works were adaptations of European plays, and many became successful enough to tour throughout the English-speaking world. He is, however, perhaps best remembe ...

's ''A Marriage of Convenience''. She played Miladi to Waller's D'Artagnan in Henry Hamilton's adaptation of ''

The Three Musketeers ''The Three Musketeers'' (french: Les Trois Mousquetaires, links=no, ) is a French historical adventure novel written in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is in the swashbuckler genre, which has heroic, chivalrous swordsmen who fight f ...

'' in 1898. In 1900 she played the title role in a stage version of '' Tess of the D'Urbervilles''.Wearing (1981), p. 18 From about this time she was generally billed as "Mrs Lewis Waller". In 1901 West played the title role in

David Belasco David Belasco (July 25, 1853 – May 14, 1931) was an American theatrical producer, impresario, director, and playwright. He was the first writer to adapt the short story ''Madame Butterfly'' for the stage. He launched the theatrical career of m ...

's adaptation of ''

Zaza Zaza may refer to: Ethnic group * Zazas, a group of people in eastern Anatolia (southeastern Turkey) * Zaza–Gorani languages, Indo-Iranian languages ** Zaza language, spoken by the Zazas People Given name * Zaza Sor. Aree (born 1993), Thai k ...

'', a play that occupied most of the rest of her career; she presented and starred in it in London, the British provinces and in South Africa between 1901 and 1905."Mrs Lewis Waller", ''Sheffield Evening Telegraph'', 14 November 1912, p. 4 In 1902 she toured in ''

San Toy ''San Toy, or The Emperor's Own'' is a "Chinese" musical comedy in two acts, first performed at Daly's Theatre, London, on 21 October 1899, and ran for 768 performances (edging out the same composer's '' The Geisha'' as the second longest run f ...

'', and announced her retirement from the stage in 1905."Theatrical Gossip", ''The Era'', 21 October 1905, p. 20 She reappeared briefly in 1908 making

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 ...

appearances in condensed versions of ''The Three Musketeers'' and ''The Admiral's Lady''. She died on 14 November 1912 at

Bognor Regis Bognor Regis (), sometimes simply known as Bognor (), is a town and seaside resort in West Sussex on the south coast of England, south-west of London, west of Brighton, south-east of Chichester and east of Portsmouth. Other nearby towns ...

, Sussex, aged 53.

References and sources

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:West, Florence 1858 births 1912 deaths English stage actresses 19th-century English actresses 20th-century English actresses