Violet Vanbrugh (11 June 1867 – 10 November 1942), born Violet Augusta Mary Barnes, was an English actress with a career that spanned more than 50 years. Despite her many successes, her career was overshadowed by that of her more famous sister, Dame

Irene Vanbrugh Dame Irene Vanbrugh DBE ( Barnes; 2 December 1872 – 30 November 1949) was an English actress. The daughter of a clergyman, Vanbrugh followed her elder sister Violet into the theatrical profession and sustained a career for more than 50 years ...

. Vanbrugh studied acting and made her professional debut in an 1886

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

. The same year, she made her West End theatre debut and then traveled to

Margate Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and Westbrook, Kent, ...

to play leading roles in four of Shakespeare's plays. In 1889 she joined the Kendals at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, Englan ...

and on tour in the US. Two years later, back in London, she joined

Henry Irving Sir Henry Irving (6 February 1838 – 13 October 1905), christened John Henry Brodribb, sometimes known as J. H. Irving, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility ( ...

and

Ellen Terry Dame Alice Ellen Terry, (27 February 184721 July 1928), was a leading English actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born into a family of actors, Terry began performing as a child, acting in Shakespeare plays in London, and tour ...

in their famous Shakespeare company at the Lyceum Theatre. In 1893, she appeared opposite her husband

Arthur Bourchier Arthur Bourchier (22 June 186314 September 1927) was an English actor and Actor-manager, theatre manager. He married and later divorced the actress Violet Vanbrugh. Bourchier was noted for roles both in classical drama, particularly William S ...

Daly's Theatre Daly's Theatre was a theatre in the City of Westminster. It was located at 2 Cranbourn Street, just off Leicester Square. It opened on 27 June 1893, and was demolished in 1937. The theatre was built for and named after the American impresar ...

and soon became his leading lady at the

Royalty Theatre The Royalty Theatre was a small London theatre situated at 73 Dean Street, Soho. Established by the actress Frances Maria Kelly in 1840, it opened as Miss Kelly's Theatre and Dramatic School and finally closed to the public in 1938.

and then at the

Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play ...

, where Bourchier was lessee for the first six years of the 20th century. Vanbrugh returned to Shakespearean roles in 1906 at

Stratford upon Avon Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-wes ...

, where she played Lady Macbeth to her husband's Macbeth, and they soon starred together in

Herbert Beerbohm Tree Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (17 December 1852 – 2 July 1917) was an English actor and theatre manager. Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre in the West End, winning praise for adventurous progra ...

's London production of ''

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

''. They continued to play in Shakespeare and other pieces, and two films, through World War I, but their marriage ended in 1918. She continued acting steadily on stage and had some success in film in the 1930s, especially in ''Pygmalion'' in 1938. In her 50th season on stage, she starred in ''

The Merry Wives of Windsor ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' or ''Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a ref ...

'' with her sister in London, and during

The Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

, they entertained at matinees. Her last film appearance was in 1940 in '' Young Man's Fancy''. She died in London in 1942 at the age of 75.

Biography

Violet Augusta Mary Barnes was born in

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

, England, the eldest of six children of the Rev Reginald Henry Barnes (1831–1889),

Prebendary A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the ...

Exeter Cathedral Exeter Cathedral, properly known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter, is an Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter, in the city of Exeter, Devon, in South West England. The present building was complete by about 140 ...

and Vicar of

Heavitree Heavitree is a historic village and parish situated formerly outside the walls of the City of Exeter in Devon, England, and is today an eastern district of that city. It was formerly the first significant village outside the city on the road to ...

, and his wife, Frances Mary Emily, née Nation.Littlewood, S.R
"Vanbrugh, Dame Irene (1872–1949)"
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online edition, January 2011, accessed 7 January 2011 She was the elder sister of the actress

and the theatrical educator

Kenneth Barnes Sir Kenneth Ralph Barnes (11 September 1878 – 16 October 1957) was director of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, from 1909-55. Born at Heavitree, near Exeter, the youngest of six children of Rev. Reginald Henry Barnes (1 ...

. She grew up in Exeter and was then educated in France and Germany.

Early career

When Violet decided to enter the acting profession, the actress

, a family friend, suggested that she should adopt the stage name Vanbrugh. Violet's early success encouraged Irene to follow her into the profession, and she too took the stage surname Vanbrugh. Both sisters enrolled at

Sarah Thorne Sarah Thorne (10 May 1836 – 27 February 1899) was a British actress and actor-manager, actress-manager of the 19th century who managed the Theatre Royal at Margate for many years. She ran a school for acting there which is widely regarded as ...

's school of acting, based at

, which gave them a thorough practical grounding. Irene recalled, "We played every kind of play there; comedy, farce, and drama of the deepest dye; while at Christmas there came the pantomime so that the Juliet of a week ago might be the Prince Paragon of the Yule-tide extravaganza."Bacchus, Reginald, "Miss Irene Vanbrugh: Her Art and Herself," ''The Ludgate'', October 1899, p. 501 The sisters played together in ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has b ...

'' at the Theatre Royal, Margate, with Violet in the lead role, Rosalind, and Irene in the smaller part of Phoebe."Dame Irene Vanbrugh", ''The Times'', 1 December 1949, p. 7

John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud, (; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Briti ...

, a grand nephew of Ellen Terry, described the two:

The Vanbrugh sisters were remarkably alike in appearance. Tall and imposing, beautifully spoken, they moved with grace...They were elegantly but never ostentatiously dressed, entering and leaving the stage with unerring authority...Violet never struck me as a natural comedienne, as Irene was.

Terry helped Violet Vanbrugh land her first professional acting role in an 1886

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

, by

F.C. Burnand Sir Francis Cowley Burnand (29 November 1836 – 21 April 1917), usually known as F. C. Burnand, was an English comic writer and prolific playwright, best known today as the librettist of Arthur Sullivan's opera ''Cox and Box''. The son of ...

, ''Faust and Loose'', at

Toole's Theatre Toole's Theatre, was a 19th-century West End theatre, West End building in William IV Street, near Charing Cross, in the City of Westminster. A succession of auditoria had occupied the site since 1832, serving a variety of functions, including ...

. The same year, she made her West End theatre debut as Ellen in ''The Little Pilgrims''. She then toured and also returned to Toole's, playing several roles until 1887 including Lady Anne in ''The Butler''. Returning to Margate later that year, she appeared in Shakespeare's ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'' as Ophelia, in ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

'' as Helena, in ''As You Like It'' as Rosalind and 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 ...

'' as Portia. In London in 1888, she played Gertrude in the ''Deputy Registrar''. In 1889, she joined the Kendals at the

as Lady Gillingham in ''The Weaker Sex'', and at the end of the year traveled with them to the US, where she played Lady Ingram in the comedy ''A Scrap of Paper'' and in dramas such as ''The Iron Master'', ''Impulse'' and ''A White Lie'' and comedies such ''The Weaker Sex''. Back in England in 1891, she joined

and Ellen Terry at the Lyceum Theatre as Anne Boleyn in his successful revival of ''King Henry VIII''. She also understudied Terry in several roles.

Bourchier and later years

In 1893, she appeared together with

Augustin Daly John Augustin Daly (July 20, 1838June 7, 1899) was one of the most influential men in American theatre during his lifetime. Drama critic, theatre manager, playwright, and adapter, he became the first recognized stage director in America. He exer ...

's production of ''Love in Tandem'' at

, and the two married the following year. In 1895, Bourchier became lessee of the

, and Vanbrugh became his leading lady in many productions, including ''The Chilli Widow'', ''Mr and Mrs'', ''Monsieur de Paris'' and ''The Queens Proctor''. Bourchier, Vanbrugh and her sister Irene toured America beginning in 1897. Returning to England, Vanbrugh played the title role in ''Teresa'', which Bourchier produced at the Metropole. After managing several productions with Charles Wyndham, Bourchier became lessee of the

Harold Acton Sir Harold Mario Mitchell Acton (5 July 1904 – 27 February 1994) was a British writer, scholar, and aesthete who was a prominent member of the Bright Young Things. He wrote fiction, biography, history and autobiography. During his stay in Ch ...

described his childhood impression of Vanbrugh in ''Memoirs of an Aesthete'': "Immensely tall, sedate, angular, sharp-nosed, and dressed as another herbaceous border, she ate her supper haughtily, like a deaconess. I could not imagine...the hero embracing her: unless he were equally tall he would have to climb on a chair." In 1902, Vanbrugh and Bourchier had a child, Prudence Bourchier, who also became an actress, taking the stage name Vanbrugh. arthur bourchier by spy

Over the six years of Bourchier's management at the Garrick, Vanbrugh starred in many of his productions, including ''The Bishop's Move'', ''My Lady Virtue'', ''Whitewashing Julia'', ''The Arm of the Law'' and

W. S. Gilbert Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (18 November 1836 – 29 May 1911) was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his collaboration with composer Arthur Sullivan, which produced fourteen comic operas. The most f ...

's ''

The Fairy's Dilemma ''Harlequin and the Fairy's Dilemma'', retitled ''The Fairy's Dilemma'' shortly after the play opened, is a play in two acts by W. S. Gilbert that parodies the harlequinade that concluded 19th-century pantomimes. It was produced at the Garric ...

'' (1904). Their production of ''The Walls of Jericho'' by

Alfred Sutro Alfred Sutro OBE (7 August 1863 – 11 September 1933) was an English author, dramatist and translator. In addition to a succession of successful plays of his own in the first quarter of the 20th century, Sutro made the first English translation ...

in 1904, ran for a very successful 423 performances. In 1905, Violet reprised her role of Portia in Bourchier's production of ''The Merchant of Venice'' and again in a command performance for King Edward at

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original cast ...

. In 1906, at

, she played Lady Macbeth to her husband's Macbeth. Vanbrugh and Bourchier toured in 1908 in ''John Glayde's Honour'' and appeared together as King Henry and Queen Katherine in Sir

Herbert Tree Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (17 December 1852 – 2 July 1917) was an English actor and theatre manager. Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre in the West End, winning praise for adventurous program ...

's successful production of ''

'', which was followed by Tree's silent film of the play. In 1913, she appeared in ''Mrs. Pomeroy's Reputation'' by Horace Annesley Vachell and Thomas Cobb at The Queen's Theatre. They then produced their own movie in Germany of scenes from ''Macbeth''. They continued to play in Shakespeare and other pieces through World War I, but their marriage was becoming difficult. They toured together in 1916 but then separated and finally divorced in 1918. A contemporary later observed, "He treated her very much as Henry VIII treated

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key ...

– except he didn't quite cut off her head." Bourchier remarried a much younger actress, Violet Marion Kyrle Bellew, but Vanbrugh never remarried. Vanbrugh continued acting steadily until 1939, playing with much success in ''Thunder in the Air'' as Mrs Vexted in 1928. She also appeared in three further films during the 1930s, including ''Pygmalion'' (1938), together with

Leslie Howard Leslie Howard Steiner (3 April 18931 June 1943) was an English actor, director and producer.Obituary ''Variety'', 9 June 1943. He wrote many stories and articles for ''The New York Times'', ''The New Yorker'', and '' Vanity Fair'' and was one ...

and

Wendy Hiller Dame Wendy Margaret Hiller, (15 August 1912 – 14 May 2003) was an English film and stage actress who enjoyed a varied acting career that spanned nearly 60 years. Writer Joel Hirschorn, in his 1984 compilation ''Rating the Movie Stars'', desc ...

. In her 50th season on stage, she starred in ''

'' at The Ring Blackfriars (playing Mistress Ford to her sister's Mistress Page), and the

Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park Regent's Park Open Air Theatre is an open-air theatre in Regent's Park in central London. The theatre Established in 1932, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is one of the largest theatres in London (1,256 seats) and is situated in Queen Mary� ...

. Her last film appearance was in 1940 in '' Young Man's Fancy''. During the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

, the Vanbrugh sisters carried out what a biographer calls "a characteristic piece of war work" by giving, with

Donald Wolfit Sir Donald Wolfit, KBE (born Donald Woolfitt; Harwood, Ronald"Wolfit, Sir Donald (1902–1968)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, September 2004; online edn, January 2008; accessed 14 July 2009 20 April 1902 ...

, lunchtime performances of extracts from ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' at the Strand Theatre. Vanbrugh died in London in 1942 at the age of 75."Miss Violet Vanbrugh", ''Western Morning News'', 21 November 1942, p. 3

Notes

References

*
Vanbrugh biography
at the Stage Beauty website

at the ''About Postcards'' site

External links

* *
Photos of Vanbrugh, especially in Shakespeare roles
at the ''Shakespeare and the Players'' site

* ttp://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/person.asp?LinkID=mp57516 NPG gallery of portraits of Vanbrugh {{DEFAULTSORT:Vanbrugh, Violet English stage actresses English film actresses English silent film actresses 1867 births 1942 deaths 20th-century English actresses