Millicent Bandmann-Palmer (1845–1926) was an English actress. She appeared in leading roles, particularly in those of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

Life

Millicent Palmer was born in Lancaster, and initially became well known as an actress at the Theatre Royal in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

."Bandmann, Mrs. (née Palmer, Millicent)". Charles E Pascoe, editor. ''The Dramatic List: a record of the performances of living actors and actresses of the British stage''. 1880. Her first London appearance was at the

Royal Strand Theatre The Royal Strand Theatre was located in the Strand in the City of Westminster. The theatre was built on the site of a panorama in 1832, and in 1882 was rebuilt by the prolific theatre architect Charles J. Phipps. It was demolished in 1905 to ma ...

in November 1864, as Pauline in the play ''Delicate Ground''. A reviewer in '' The Standard'' (9 November 1864) wrote: "The romance and simplicity of Pauline were exquisitely represented by Miss Palmer, who, without an effort, and in a style very different to what the visitors to the Strand Theatre have been accustomed to see, made a deep impression, and appealed to all hearts. The tenderness of the character, too, was exquisitely realised, nor were energy and spirit wanting when required...." She remained with the theatre company at the Strand until 1865, appearing successfully in two plays by J. P. Wooler, ''The Wilful Ward'' and ''Laurence's Love Suit'', the last of which was reviewed in '' The Athenaeum'' (14 January 1865): "The same lively sensible girl to whom humour seemed as natural as the most spontaneous act of her daily life, possesses also a fund of pathos so genuine in character, so unstudied, yet so effective, that it commands voluntary sympathy from all classes of spectators...." In October 1866 at the

Olympic Theatre The Olympic Theatre, sometimes known as the Royal Olympic Theatre, was a 19th-century London theatre, opened in 1806 and located at the junction of Drury Lane, Wych Street and Newcastle Street. The theatre specialised in comedies throughout m ...

she played the leading female role in the first production of

Tom Taylor Tom Taylor (19 October 1817 – 12 July 1880) was an English dramatist, critic, biographer, public servant, and editor of ''Punch'' magazine. Taylor had a brief academic career, holding the professorship of English literature and language a ...

's ''The White Boy''. From November 1867 for five weeks at the

Lyceum Theatre, London The Lyceum Theatre ( ) is a West End theatre located in the City of Westminster, on Wellington Street, just off the Strand in central London. It has a seating capacity of 2,100. The origins of the theatre date to 1765. Managed by Samuel Arnold ...

she played

Juliet Juliet Capulet () is the female protagonist in William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. A 13-year-old girl, Juliet is the only daughter of the patriarch of the House of Capulet. She falls in love with the male protagonist R ...

in Shakespeare's ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

'', with great success. In February 1869 she married the actor Daniel E. Bandmann, and afterwards they appeared together in plays. They travelled to Australia and the US; during these tours she played roles including Pauline in ''

The Lady of Lyons ''The Lady of Lyons; or, Love and Pride'', commonly known as ''The Lady of Lyons'', is a five act romantic melodrama written in 1838 by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton. It was first produced in London at Covent Garden Theatre on 15 Februar ...

'' by

Edward Bulwer-Lytton Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton, PC (25 May 180318 January 1873) was an English writer and politician. He served as a Whig member of Parliament from 1831 to 1841 and a Conservative from 1851 to 1866. He was Secret ...

, and several from Shakespeare: Juliet in ''Romeo and Juliet'', Beatrice in ''

Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' ( W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. 1387 The play ...

'' and Portia in ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...

''. After returning to England she appeared in 1872 In London at the

Queen's Theatre, Long Acre The Queen's Theatre in London was established in 1867 as a theatre on the site of St Martin's Hall, a large concert room that had opened in 1850. It stood on the corner of Long Acre (formerly Charles Street) and Endell Street, with entrances in ...

; in 1873 she appeared at the

Princess's Theatre The Princess's Theatre or Princess Theatre was a theatre in Oxford Street Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch via Oxford Circus. It is Europ ...

Lady Macbeth Lady Macbeth is a leading character in William Shakespeare's tragedy '' Macbeth'' (). As the wife of the play's tragic hero, Macbeth (a Scottish nobleman), Lady Macbeth goads her husband into committing regicide, after which she becomes quee ...

. In the following years she appeared in London and elsewhere in England, playing leading roles, in Shakespeare and in other plays, including Lady Teazle in Sheridan's ''

The School for Scandal ''The School for Scandal'' is a comedy of manners written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. It was first performed in London at Drury Lane Theatre on 8 May 1777. Plot Act I Scene I: Lady Sneerwell, a wealthy young widow, and her hireling Sna ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bandmann-Palmer, Millicent 1845 births 1926 deaths People from Lancaster, Lancashire 19th-century English actresses