Toby Claude (born Harriette Mary Kavanagh; January 29, 1877 – October 27, 1962) was an Irish actress and singer 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 ...

, on the Broadway stage, and in silent films.

Early life

Harriette Mary Kavanagh was born in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. Her father Richard Kavanaugh was Irish; her mother Angelina Claude was an "English burlesque actress". She began using the name "Toby" as a girl, after a dog on the cover of ''Punch'' magazine.

Career

Toby Claude's stage credits included roles in ''The Belle of New York'' (1900), ''The Cadet Girl'' (1900), ''The Prima Donna'' (1901), '' Floradora'' (1902), ''The Belle of Broadway'' (1902), ''The Baroness Fiddlesticks'' (1904). and ''Fantana'' (1906). Theatre writers often mentioned her short stature (she was well under five feet in height): "Miss Toby Claude salmost sufficiently diminutive to rank as an eccentric Lilliputian," commented one in 1904. Her

act included popular songs. She toured Hawaii and Australia in 1910. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

she helped with military recruitment drives. In middle age, Toby Claude appeared in five silent films: '' Lost: A Wife'' (1925, now lost), ''

The Clinging Vine ''The Clinging Vine'' is a 1926 American silent comedy film produced by Cecil B. DeMille and Paul Slone and directed by Sloane. It was distributed by DeMille's Producers Distributing Corporation.

'' (1926), ''For Alimony Only'' (1926), '' No Control'' (1927), and ''

Turkish Delight Turkish delight or lokum ( ota, لوقوم) is a family of confections based on a gel of starch and sugar. Premium varieties consist largely of chopped dates, pistachios, hazelnuts or walnuts bound by the gel; traditional varieties are often f ...

'' (1927). In 1929 she was part of a group of actors who organized the Actors Theater in Los Angeles.

Personal life

Toby Claude married fellow actor William P. Carleton; they divorced in 1903. In 1915 she was involved in a scandal when she was found leaving America with another actress's husband and young child. She died on October 27, 1962, in Los Angeles, California, USA.

References

External links

*
A publicity photograph of Toby Claude, circa 1903, in her costume from ''A Chinese Honeymoon''
in the Macauley's Theatre Collection of the University of Louisville Photographic Archives. {{DEFAULTSORT:Claude, Toby 1877 births 1962 deaths Irish actresses Vaudeville performers