Lillian Lawrence (February 17, 1868 – May 7, 1926) was an American

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

and

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 ...

actress. Her daughter

Ethel Grey Terry Ethel Grey Terry (October 2, 1882 – January 6, 1931) was an American actress of the silent era. She is best remembered for her role in '' The Penalty'' with Lon Chaney. Early years Ethel Grey Terry was born in Oakland, California, the ...

was also an actress.

Biography

Lawrence was born in either

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

Alexander, West Virginia Alexander is an unincorporated community in Upshur County, West Virginia, United States. Alexander is located on County Route 11 and the Buckhannon River The Buckhannon River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolu ...

but moved to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

at the age of two. She made her stage debut there as a 13-year-old girl as a chess piece in the

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...

''The Royal Middy''. Following that, she sang opera for the California Theatre for three years. At age 20, she joined a touring company, followed by a role in '' The Two Orphans''. Afterwards, she joined a

repertory theatre A repertory theatre is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom Annie Horniman founded the first modern repertory theatre in Manchester after withdrawing ...

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

. In 1882 at the age of 14, she gave birth to her daughter Ethel, but Lawrence remained unmarried. In 1892, she moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and then back to

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...

the next year. She then won the lead role in a production of ''The Two Orphans'' with

Kate Claxton Kate Claxton (August 24, 1848 – May 5, 1924) was an American actress. Biography Kate Elizabeth Cone was born at Somerville, New Jersey to Spencer Wallace Cone and Josephine Martinez.James, Edward T.; James, Janet Wilson; Boyer, Paul S"Not ...

. Lawrence returned to New York, followed by a position with the National Theatre Stock Company in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, then had Shakespearean roles with Thomas W. Keene. In 1897, she joined the Castle Square Stock Company, another repertory theatre. As stock theatres often put on new plays on a weekly basis, by summer 1897, she had taken on over 300 operatic and 500 dramatic roles over the course of her career. She spent six years with the company and was known as the company's "Leading Lady". Her popularity was such that when she temporarily left the group in 1901 on a 16-month sabbatical, she received a rousing ovation and tribute. Lawrence returned to San Francisco in 1904, joining the repertory at the Alcazar Theatre and becoming immediately popular. After a short period in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

, she returned to the East Coast with the Orpheum Dramatic Stock Theatre at the Chestnut Street Theatre in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, and the Harry Davis Stock Players at the Grand Theatre in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. She also returned to Boston to play with John Craig Stock Company at the Globe Theatre, Boston, made special appearances with the Castle Square Company, and appeared in

Broadway plays 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 ...

as well. She joined Ethel in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

in 1919 and appeared in both films and theatre while there. Lawrence died of

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, hea ...

in 1926 at her daughter's home in

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bev ...

. Her ashes are interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Partial filmography

* '' The Galley Slave'' (1915) * ''

A Fallen Idol ''A Fallen Idol'' is a lost 1919 American silent melodrama film starring Evelyn Nesbit, a famed former model and Broadway showgirl who had been at the center of two highly publicized court trials after her wealthy husband shot and killed a promine ...

'' (1919) * ''

The Social Pirate ''The Social Pirate'' is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by Dell Henderson and starring June Elvidge, Laura Burt and Ned Sparks.Connelly p.412 Cast * June Elvidge as Dolores Fernandez * Laura Burt as Mrs. McBride * Lillian Lawrence ...

'' (1919) * ''

Black Is White ''Black Is White'' is a 1920 American silent drama film starring Dorothy Dalton and directed by Charles Giblyn. It was produced by Thomas H. Ince and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The movie is based on a novel, ''Black is White'', by Geor ...

'' (1920) * ''

A Parisian Scandal ''A Parisian Scandal'' is a 1921 American silent comedy-drama film, directed by George L. Cox. It stars George Periolat, Lillian Lawrence, and Marie Prevost, and was released on December 5, 1921. Plot As described in a film magazine, Liane-De ...

'' (1921) * ''

A Girl's Desire ''A Girl's Desire'' is a 1922 American silent comedy film directed by David Smith and starring Alice Calhoun, Warner Baxter and Frank Hall Crane.Connelly p.354 Synopsis A wealthy and socially ambitious American woman plans to buy social positi ...

'' (1922) * '' East Is West'' (1922) * ''

White Shoulders ''White Shoulders'' is a lost 1931 American pre-Code comedy-drama film directed by Melville W. Brown and starring Mary Astor and Jack Holt, with major supporting roles by Ricardo Cortez and Sidney Toler. The film was produced and distributed b ...

'' (1922) * ''

The Voice from the Minaret ''The Voice from the Minaret'' is a 1923 American silent romantic drama film directed by Frank Lloyd and starring Norma Talmadge, Eugene O'Brien, and Winter Hall. The film is based on the play of the same name by Robert Smythe Hichens (London ...

'' (1923) * ''

Fashionable Fakers ''Fashionable Fakers'' is a 1923 American silent comedy film directed by William Worthington and starring Johnnie Walker, Mildred June and Lillian Lawrence.Munden p.231 It was released in Britain with the alternative title ''A Going Concern''. ...

'' (1923) * '' The Common Law'' (1923) * ''

Three Ages ''Three Ages'' is a 1923 black-and-white American feature-length silent comedy film starring comedian Buster Keaton and Wallace Beery. The first feature Keaton wrote, directed, produced, and starred in (unlike ''The Saphead'', in which he only ...

'' (1923) * ''

Crinoline and Romance ''Crinoline and Romance'' is a 1923 American silent comedy film directed by Harry Beaumont and starring Viola Dana, Claude Gillingwater, and John Bowers. Plot As described in a film magazine, Colonel Charles E. Cavanaugh (Gillingwater) lives i ...

'' (1923) * ''

Christine of the Hungry Heart ''Christine of the Hungry Heart'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by George Archainbaud and starring Florence Vidor. It was produced by Thomas H. Ince and released through First National Pictures. Plot As described in a review in ...

'' (1924) * ''

Graustark Graustark is a fictional country in Eastern Europe used as a setting for several novels by George Barr McCutcheon. Graustark's neighbors, which also figure in the stories, are Axphain to the north and Dawsbergen to the south. Description Gr ...

'' (1925) * '' Stella Maris'' (1925)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrence, Lillian 1868 births 1926 deaths American opera singers 19th-century American actresses American stage actresses 20th-century American actresses American silent film actresses Actresses from San Francisco Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery 19th-century American singers 19th-century American women singers