Mary Stevenson (; October 8, 1829 – February 22, 1868), known professionally as Mary Gannon, was an American

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

who had an active stage career in comedies and vaudeville during the mid 19th century. A gifted comedienne, she became associated with many of the matron roles of 18th and 19th century comedies. Shortly before her death at the age of 39, New York theatre critic Joseph N. Ireland wrote of Gannon, " heis now universally acknowledged to be the best general comic actress in the city."Fisher 2015, p. 188.

Child actress

Born in New York City on October 8, 1829, Gannon was the daughter of Irish immigrants and began her career as a

child actress The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in movies or television. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associated ...

sometime between 1832 and 1835. Some sources claim she made her stage debut in a production of

Donizetti Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the ''bel canto'' opera style duri ...

's '' The Daughter of the Regiment'' in 1835 at the Richmond Hill Theatre in New York; whereas other sources claim she had performed earlier at the Old Bowery Theatre. She made her debut in Philadelphia on January 18, 1838, at the

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 ...

, as Lady Flennap, in

Garrick Garrick may refer to: * Garrick (name), for the name's origin and people with either the surname or given name, the most famous being: ** David Garrick (1717–1779), English actor * Garrick Club, a London gentlemen's club named in honour of David ...

's farce of '' Lilliput''. Gannon was then known as the "Lilliputian Wonder". The following year she made her bow at the Park Theatre. In 1841 she played an engagement at the American (afterwards Barnum's) Museum, appearing in six characters and executing a dance from ''

La Bayadere LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

'' in the vaudeville of ''The Actress of All Work''. She was then carded as "La petite Elssler." She reappeared in Philadelphia on March 10, 1846, at Masonic Hall, as Fairy of the Lake, in ''Kate Kearney''.Brown 1870, p. 138. In addition to these performances, she appeared as a dancer and actress in regional theaters during her early career.

Adult career

As an adult, Gannon became a popular actress in the cities of New York and Philadelphia; particularly in comedies and in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

. When the season of 1848 commenced at the Olympic Theatre under William Mitchell, Gannon was in the company. Here she remained for some time quite a favorite with her audiences. She had a series of critical triumphs at the

Wallack's Theatre Three New York City playhouses named Wallack's Theatre played an important part in the history of American theater, as the successive homes of the stock company managed by actors James W. Wallack and his son, Lester Wallack. During its 35-ye ...

where she performed as a leading comedic actress beginning in 1855 up until her death thirteen years later. Some of the plays in which she starred at that theatre included

James Sheridan Knowles James Sheridan Knowles (12 May 1784 – 30 November 1862) was an Irish dramatist and actor. Biography Knowles was born in Cork. His father was the lexicographer James Knowles (1759–1840), cousin of Richard Brinsley Sheridan. The family mo ...

's ''The Love Chase'',

Octave Feuillet Octave Feuillet (11 July 1821 – 29 December 1890) was a French novelist and dramatist. His work stands midway between the romanticists and the realists. He is renowned for his "distinguished and lucid portraiture of life", depictions of fem ...

's ''The Romance of a Poor Young Man'', ''Knights of the Round Table'',

Elizabeth Inchbald Elizabeth Inchbald (née Simpson, 15 October 1753 – 1 August 1821) was an English novelist, actress, dramatist, and translator. Her two novels, '' A Simple Story'' and '' Nature and Art'', have received particular critical attention. Life Bo ...

's ''To Marry, or Not to Marry'', and Augustus Glossop Harris's ''The Little Treasure'', among others. On September 21, 1857, she again appeared in Philadelphia at the Walnut Street Theatre, as Katryn in '' Captain of the Watch''.

Decline and death

When the comedy of ''Ours'' was re-produced at Wallack's, in January, 1868, Gannon appeared as Mary Nettley. She could scarcely support herself through the effort, and the curtain fell on that evening on her last appearance. She died in New York, after a long, painful illness, on February 22, 1868. Her funeral took place on February 25. The pallbearers were George Holland, John Gilbert, A. V. Young, Mark Smith, John Perley, J. H. Wilbour, Mr. Maeder and Mr. Larrason. She was interred in Greenwood.Brown 1870, pp. 138, 141.

Personal life

While engaged at the Olympic she was married to George Stevenson, a lawyer, who died in 1854.

Notes

References

Sources

* Bordman, Gerald; Hischak, Thomas S. (2004)
"Gannon, Mary (1829–68), comedienne"
''The Oxford Companion to the American Theatre''. 3rd ed. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 20 August 2022. * * * Vickery-Bareford, Melissa (2000)
"Gannon, Mary (1829-1868), actress"
''

American National Biography The ''American National Biography'' (ANB) is a 24-volume biographical encyclopedia set that contains about 17,400 entries and 20 million words, first published in 1999 by Oxford University Press under the auspices of the American Council of Le ...

''. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
"Obituary; Miss Mary Gannon, of Wallack's Theatre"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''. February 23, 1868. p. 4.
"Funeral of Mary Gannon"
''The New York Times''. February 25, 1868. p. 4.

''The New York Times''. February 26, 1868. p. 5. {{DEFAULTSORT:Gannon, Mary 1829 births 1868 deaths 19th-century American actresses American stage actresses Actresses from New York City Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery