Maudi Darrell (born Maud Rhoda Didcott, 10 February 1882 – 31 October 1910) was an English actress on the London and New York stages, and a performer 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 ...

. She was one of the fashionable young women known as "

Gaiety Girls Gaiety Girls were the chorus girls in Edwardian musical comedies, beginning in the 1890s at the Gaiety Theatre, London, in the shows produced by George Edwardes. The popularity of this genre of musical theatre depended, in part, on the beautifu ...

Early life

Maud Rhoda Didcott was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

in 1882, the daughter of Hugh Jay Didcott and Rose Fox. Her father was a theatrical agent, and her mother was a dancer who had a novelty act involving singing while skipping rope. Her father was Jewish, but Maudi Didcott was educated at the Sion House Convent at Bayswater."Actress's Sad Fate"
''The Northwestern Advocate and Emu Bay Times'' (January 7, 1911): 2.via

Trove Trove is an Australian online library database owned by the National Library of Australia in which it holds partnerships with source providers National and State Libraries Australia, an aggregator and service which includes full text documen ...

Her sister Violet Raye was also an actress.

Career

Maudi Darrell appeared in popular musicals and comedies, including ''

The Beauty of Bath ''The Beauty of Bath'' is a musical comedy with a book by Seymour Hicks and Cosmo Hamilton, lyrics by C. H. Taylor and music by Herbert Haines; additional songs were provided by Jerome Kern (lyrics and music), F. Clifford Harris (lyrics) and P ...

'' (1906), ''Mrs. Ponderbury's Past'' (1907), ''The Cassilis Engagement'' (1907),"Heard in the Green Room"
''The Sketch'' (February 13, 1907): 148. '' The Gay Gordons'' (1908), and ''

The Belle of Brittany ''The Belle of Brittany'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts set in 'Daffodil Time' in rustic 18th-century Brittany. It premiered at the Sondheim Theatre, Queen's Theatre in London on 24 October 1908. The music is by Howard Talbot and Ma ...

'' (1908). Her signature song was "By the Side of the Zuyder Zee", from ''The Beauty of Bath''. She was a popular "postcard actress", with portraits of her sold in postcard format. "Her appearance has the peculiar exotic beauty of a Beardsley drawing," noted one critic, "if she appealed to a boy at all, she would appeal with great force." She had a valuable collection of diamonds, and the "Maharaja of Kuch Behar" (Sir Nripendra Narayan) presented Miss Darrell with "the finest emerald in England", in admiration for her beauty.

Personal life

Maudi Darrell married Scottish-born mill owner Ian Bullough in 1909. She died the following year, from complications of a paralysis of unknown origin and acute

appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a ru ...

, aged 28 years. Her widower married again in 1911, to actress Lily Elsie. There were reports that Elsie fell ill from the same illness as Maudi Darrell, almost immediately after marrying Bullough.

References

External links

*The National Portrait Gallery, London, ha
three postcard portraits of Maudi Darrell
1882 births 1910 deaths Vaudeville performers British actresses British expatriate actresses in the United States {{authority control