Frederick Charles Emney (5 March 1865 – 7 January 1917), known professionally as Fred Emney, was an English comedian and actor, known for his appearances in

farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical humor; the use of deliberate absurdity o ...

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 ...

musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

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 ...

and

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

. He was a member of a theatrical family: among his uncles was the popular comedian Arthur Williams, and he was the father of

Fred Emney Frederick Arthur Round Emney (12 February 1902 – 25 December 1980) was an English character actor and comedian. Emney was born in Prescot, Lancashire,GRO Register of Births Mar 1902 Frederick Arthur R Emney 8b 725 PRESCOT1901 Census: ...

, a comic character actor frequently seen on stage and screen in the mid-20th century.

Life and career

Emney was born in

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...

, London. His family had theatrical connections; his uncles were the comic performers Arthur Williams and Fred Williams (c.1847–1916). Emney made his stage debut in 1885 at

Sadler's Wells Theatre Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue in Clerkenwell, London, England located on Rosebery Avenue next to New River Head. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500-seat ...

in a cast led by

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 ...

."Mr Fred Emney", ''The Times'', 8 January 1917, p. 6 One of his earliest successes was as Lurcher, the sheriff's officer, in the comic opera ''

Dorothy Dorothy may refer to: *Dorothy (given name), a list of people with that name. Arts and entertainment Characters *Dorothy Gale, protagonist of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum * Ace (''Doctor Who'') or Dorothy, a character playe ...

'', succeeding Arthur Williams in the role; the uncle played it more than 900 times, and the nephew made over 800 appearances in it. A provincial critic wrote in 1888, "Mr Emney is a born humorist, and he enters into the spirit of the thing with such abandon as keeps the house in a round of merriment during his presence". Theatre historian Roy Busby described him as "an outstanding

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

comedian." For the rest of his career Emney divided his time between the West End and touring. His shows in the 1890s included the farcical comedies ''The Barrister'' at the

Royalty Theatre The Royalty Theatre was a small London theatre situated at 73 Dean Street, Soho. Established by the actress Frances Maria Kelly in 1840, it opened as Miss Kelly's Theatre and Dramatic School and finally closed to the public in 1938.

, London; and ''The Bookmaker'' on tour with Arthur Williams. His

roles at the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane 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 Dr ...

included Nurse in ''The Sleeping Beauty and the Beast'' in 1900–1901, Mayor in ''Mother Goose'' in 1902–1903 and Empress in ''Sinbad'', 1906–1907. The West End musical comedy roles that he originated included Posh Jenkins in ''

Lady Madcap ''Lady Madcap'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts, composed by Paul Rubens with a book by Paul Rubens and Nathaniel Newnham-Davis, and lyrics by Paul Rubens and Percy Greenbank. The story concerns a mischievous Earl's daughter who ho ...

'' (1904), Tournesol in ''

The Merveilleuses ''The Merveilleuses'' is a musical play in three acts, with a book adapted from the French original of Victorien Sardou by Basil Hood, lyrics by Adrian Ross, and music by Hugo Felix. The main plot is a love story, concerning Dorlis, an ''émigré'' ...

'' (1906) and Nervy Nat in '' The Gay Gordons'' (1907). From 1907 Emney began to appear in

shows, in a long-running sketch ''A Sister to Assist 'er'', which he played around the country, first with

Sydney Fairbrother Sydney Fairbrother (31 July 1872 – 4 January 1941) was a British actress. Born Sydney Tapping on 31 July 1872 in London to actor/playwright Alfred B. Tapping and actress Florence Cowell, she was educated at Blackpool and Bonn. She made her sta ...

and later with Louise Tinsley. After touring the sketch for three years he followed it with a sequel, ''The Arrival of a Rival'', which was still in his repertoire at the time of his death. In 1913 he was among the performers in a celebrated all-star royal variety show at the

London Coliseum The London Coliseum (also known as the Coliseum Theatre) is a theatre in St Martin's Lane, Westminster, built as one of London's largest and most luxurious "family" variety theatres. Opened on 24 December 1904 as the London Coliseum Theatre ...

organised for charity by

Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 or 23 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including '' La Dame Aux Camel ...

. In 1914 he received warm notices for his portrayal of the Empress in ''Sinbad'' opposite

George Robey Sir George Edward Wade, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (20 September 1869 – 29 November 1954),James Harding (music writer), Harding, James"Robey, George" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University P ...

. During a performance of a pantomime version of ''Cinderella'' at the

London Opera House London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major se ...

in 1917, Emney slipped on stage, fell heavily and damaged his spine, and despite two emergency operations he died a few days later, at the age of 51. His son, Fred Emney, Jr., was chief mourner at the funeral, which was attended by members of Emney's profession, led by George Graves and

Harry Tate Ronald Macdonald Hutchison (4 July 1872 – 14 February 1940), professionally known as Harry Tate, was an English comedian, who performed in the music halls, in variety shows, and in films. Career Born in Lambeth, the son of a Scottish tea m ...

."News in Brief", ''The Times'', 13 January 1917, p. 3

Notes

External links

Recording of "A Sister to Assist 'er"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Emney, Fred, Sr 1865 births 1917 deaths English male stage actors 19th-century English male actors 20th-century English male actors