Louisa Lane Drew (January 10, 1820 – August 31, 1897) was an English-born American actress and theatre owner and an ancestor of the Barrymore acting family. Professionally she was often known as Mrs. John Drew.

Life and career

Louisa Lane was born in London, England, the daughter of Eliza Trentner (1796–1887), a singer and actress, and Thomas Frederick Lane (1796–1825), an actor and theatre manager.Billboard June 6, 1942 Louisa and her mother came to America when she was six years old. She proved to be a child prodigy playing five different adult roles within one play at the age of eight in 1828. As a young woman and strolling player, her theatrical travels took her, her mother and half sisters as far away as

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

, by

sailing ship A sailing ship is a sea-going vessel that uses sails mounted on masts to harness the power of wind and propel the vessel. There is a variety of sail plans that propel sailing ships, employing square-rigged or fore-and-aft sails. Some ships c ...

, where one of her step fathers died. She returned to the United States in 1847 to support

Junius Brutus Booth Junius Brutus Booth (1 May 1796 – 30 November 1852) was an English stage actor. He was the father of actor John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. His other children included Edwin Booth, the foremost tragedian of ...

. She appeared in several plays with both him and his son,

John Wilkes Booth John Wilkes Booth (May 10, 1838 – April 26, 1865) was an American stage actor who assassinated United States President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. A member of the prominent 19th-century Booth ...

. She and her third husband John Drew were the parents of Louisa Drew (Mendum) (1851–1888),

John Drew, Jr. John Drew Jr. (November 13, 1853 – July 9, 1927), commonly known as John Drew during his life, was an American stage actor noted for his roles in Shakespearean comedy, society drama, and light comedies. He was the eldest son of John Drew ...

and Georgie Drew (Barrymore). She had no known children from her first two marriages. The Drews owned the

Arch Street Theatre The Arch Street Theatre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the 19th century, was one of the three main Philadelphia theaters for plays; the other two were the Walnut Street Theatre and the Chestnut Street Theatre. The Arch Street Theatre opene ...

, where they staged performances, and she managed the business. The Arch Street was a competitor theatre of the still standing

Walnut Street Theatre The Walnut Street Theatre, founded in 1809 at 825 Walnut Street, on the corner of S. 9th Street in the Washington Square West neighborhood of Philadelphia, is the oldest operating theatre in the United States. The venue is operated by the Walnu ...

. After her husband's death Mrs Drew adopted a baby boy and named him Sidney. She was the grandmother through Georgie of

John Barrymore John Barrymore (born John Sidney Blyth; February 14 or 15, 1882 – May 29, 1942) was an American actor on stage, screen and radio. A member of the Drew and Barrymore theatrical families, he initially tried to avoid the stage, and briefly att ...

, Ethel Barrymore and Lionel Barrymore. Her other grandchildren were Georgie Drew Mendum, Edmund Mendum,

Louise Drew Louise Drew (1882 – April 23, 1954, New York City) was an American stage actress. Life and career Born into a prominent stage family, Drew was part of the Barrymore family tree of actors. She was educated in both France and the United States. ...

, and S. Rankin Drew. She is the great-great-grandmother of

Drew Barrymore Drew Blythe Barrymore (born February 22, 1975) is an American actress, director, producer, talk show host and author. A member of the Barrymore family of actors, she is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a ...

. In May 1895 the aged Mrs Drew appeared in an all-star revival of Sheridan's ''

The Rivals ''The Rivals'' is a comedy of manners by Richard Brinsley Sheridan in five acts which was first performed at Covent Garden Theatre on 17 January 1775. The story has been updated frequently, including a 1935 musical and a 1958 episode of the T ...

''. In 1897 an ailing Louisa Drew spent her last summer at her annual

Larchmont, New York Larchmont is a village located within the Town of Mamaroneck in Westchester County, New York, approximately northeast of Midtown Manhattan. The population of the village was 5,864 at the 2010 census. In February 2019, Bloomberg ranked Lar ...

retreat with her grandsons Lionel and John Barrymore.

Death

She died on August 31, 1897 at the age of 77 and her body was initially interred at Glenwood Cemetery and eventually moved to Mount Vernon Cemetery. The historic Arch Street Theatre was demolished in 1936.''America's Longest Rum:...'' c.2010 author Andrew Davis
..Retrieved July 2, 2015

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Drew, Louisa Lane 1820 births 1897 deaths British emigrants to the United States Louisa Lane Drew Burials at Glenwood Cemetery/Glenwood Memorial Gardens Burials at Mount Vernon Cemetery (Philadelphia) 19th-century English actresses English stage actresses 19th-century American actresses American stage actresses 19th-century theatre managers 19th-century American businesswomen 19th-century American businesspeople