Sir John Martin-Harvey (22 June 1863 – 14 May 1944), known before his

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the ...

in 1921 as John Martin Harvey, was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

stage

actor-manager An actor-manager is a leading actor who sets up their own permanent theatrical company and manages the business, sometimes taking over a theatre to perform select plays in which they usually star. It is a method of theatrical production used co ...

. Born in Bath Street,

Wivenhoe Wivenhoe ( ) is a town and civil parish in north-eastern Essex, England, approximately south-east of Colchester. Historically Wivenhoe village, on the banks of the River Colne, and Wivenhoe Cross, on the higher ground to the north, were two ...

Essex Essex () is a Ceremonial counties of England, county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the Riv ...

, he was the son of John Harvey, a

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

-designer and

shipbuilder Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befor ...

, and Margaret Diana Mary (née Goyder). His father expected him to follow his own profession, but Martin Harvey had his sights set on the stage. One of his father's clients was the

dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

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 fam ...

, and it was through Gilbert that young Martin Harvey met his first teacher, John Ryder. Martin Harvey 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 ...

's Lyceum Theatre company in 1882. For many years he played only minor parts in Irving's productions. His most famous play was first produced at the Lyceum on 16 February 1899. This was '' The Only Way'', an adaptation of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian er ...

' ''

A Tale of Two Cities ''A Tale of Two Cities'' is a historical novel published in 1859 by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in ...

'' in which Martin Harvey played the lead role of Sydney Carton. Many other plays followed and many tours in both

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...

and

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

. His success was always greater in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

than the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. After Irving's death in 1905, Martin Harvey continued to revive his old manager's plays, often using Irving's own props which he had bought. These plays included '' The Bells'' and '' The Lyons Mail''. His early successes included Pelleas in

Maeterlinck Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck (29 August 1862 – 6 May 1949), also known as Count (or Comte) Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who was Flemish but wrote in French. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in ...

's ''

Pelleas and Melisande Pelleas , or Pellias, is an Arthurian Knight of the Round Table whose story first appears in the Post-Vulgate Cycle. He becomes the husband of Nimue, the Lady of the Lake in ''Le Morte d'Arthur''. His character might have been connected to the ...

'', with

Mrs. Patrick Campbell Beatrice Rose Stella Tanner (9 February 1865 – 9 April 1940), better known by her stage name Mrs Patrick Campbell or Mrs Pat, was an English stage actress, best known for appearing in plays by Shakespeare, Shaw and Barrie. She also toured the ...

as Melisande and incidental music written for the production by

Gabriel Fauré Gabriel Urbain Fauré (; 12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers ...

. His later successes included ''A Cigarette-maker's Romance'', ''

Oedipus Oedipus (, ; grc-gre, Οἰδίπους "swollen foot") was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. A tragic hero in Greek mythology, Oedipus accidentally fulfilled a prophecy that he would end up killing his father and marrying his mother, thereby ...

'' (in

Max Reinhardt Max Reinhardt (; born Maximilian Goldmann; 9 September 1873 – 30 October 1943) was an Austrian-born theatre and film director, intendant, and theatrical producer. With his innovative stage productions, he is regarded as one of the most pr ...

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

production),

Shaw Shaw may refer to: Places Australia *Shaw, Queensland Canada * Shaw Street, a street in Toronto England *Shaw, Berkshire, a village * Shaw, Greater Manchester, a location in the parish of Shaw and Crompton * Shaw, Swindon, a suburb of Swindon ...

's '' The Devil's Disciple'' and

's ''The Burgomaster of Stilemonde''. By the time he retired, Martin Harvey claimed to have performed ''The Only Way'' more than 3,000 times, though this would not have been possible in reality.

Early days

Early on in Irving's company, when cast as the attendant to the messenger in the scene with 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 ...

'', Martin Harvey decided that here was his opportunity to be more than a mere extra with a non-speaking part . "I bought a remarkable feather", he explained, "and wore it in my hat, and on the day of the dress rehearsal I painted on my face a very elaborate moustache. Alas! my efforts were unavailing. I expect in Irving critical eyes I was a figure of fun. Irving pointed his lean forefinger at me, and with that dreadful preliminary, 'Ha, hm,' of his, he growled. Take out that boy.' I had to come on with the crowd as usual."Edgar, cited in ‘A Lyceum Young Man’, ''Hull Daily Mail,'' 5 July 1912 p. 6 John Martin-Harvey 1899

"The Only Way"

Martin Harvey and his wife Angelita worked on an adaptation of ''

'', later involving playwright Freeman Wills and Irish clergyman Canon Frederick Langbridge. There was already a play called ''Sidney Carton, or a Tale of Two Cities'' and it was Angelita who came up with the title ''The Only Way''. '' The Only Way'' was made into a film in 1927 shot at Twickenham Studios and was a commercial success. It starred Martin Harvey in the lead role.

Business interests

One of Martin Harvey's personal friends was theatre manager, William Morton. In 1902 Morton's Ltd was formed to build the Alexandra Theatre in Hull. Martin Harvey was made one of five directors, investing £1,000, and remained so until the theatre was sold in 1935. Martin Harvey and his touring company paid an annual visit to Hull and to Morton's theatres, which also included the Theatre Royal and The Grand Opera House.Morton, William: 'Some Famous Stage Celebrities', ''I Remember'''. Hull: Goddard, Walker and Brown, 1934 pp. 120-121

First World War

During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, Martin Harvey and his wife toured the country giving military recruitment lectures and raising money for the

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

and other charities, most notably the Nation's Fund for Nurses. The couple raised enough money to buy a building for the College of Nursing in 1920 which became a rest home for nurses.Profile
Hopwood, Jon C., 'John Martin Harvey, Biography', imdb.com; accessed 11 August 2016.

Personal life

In 1889 he married Angelita Helena Maria de Silva Ferro, daughter of a

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

an consul and a fellow actor in Irving's company who used the stage name Miss N. de Silva. They had two children,

Muriel Martin-Harvey Margaret Muriel de Melfort Martin-Harvey (4 October 1891, in London – 15 December 1988, in Hillingdon, London) was an English stage actress. Martin-Harvey was born to actors, London-born Nell de Silva, Angelita Helena Margarita (née de Silva) ...

and

Michael Martin-Harvey Michael Martin Harvey (birth registered as Jack Seaforth Harvey, baptised as Jack Seaforth Elton Harvey, 18 April 1897 – 30 June 1975) was an English actor. He was the son of the stage actor/manager Sir John Martin-Harvey and brother of actress ...

, both successful actors. John Martin Harvey died at his home in

East Sheen East Sheen, also known as Sheen, is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its long high street has shops, offices, restaurants, cafés, pubs and suburban supermarkets and is also the economic hub for Mortl ...

Richmond, Surrey Richmond is a town in south-west London,The London Government Act 1963 (c.33) (as amended) categorises the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames as an Outer London borough. Although it is on both sides of the River Thames, the Boundary Comm ...

, aged 80.

Selected filmography

* '' A Cigarette-Maker's Romance'' (1913) * '' The Broken Melody'' (1916) * ''

The Breed of the Treshams ''The Breed of the Treshams'' is a 1920 British silent adventure film directed by Kenelm Foss and starring Mary Odette, Hayford Hobbs and A. B. Imeson.Low p. During the English Civil War, the Royalists uncover a Roundhead spy. Cast * Mary ...

'' (1920) * '' The Only Way'' (1927) * ''

The Burgomaster of Stilemonde ''The Burgomaster of Stilemonde'' is a 1929 British silent drama film directed by George Banfield and starring John Martin Harvey, Fern Andra and Robert Andrews. It was made at Walthamstow Studios and on location in Belgium. It was based on ...

'' (1929) * '' The Lyons Mail'' (1931)

References

Bibliography

* Busby, Brian: ''Character parts: who's really who in Canlit.'' Toronto: Knopf Canada, 2003 *Butler, Nicholas: ''John Martin-Harvey: the biography of an actor-manager''. Wivenhoe: Nicholas Butler, 1997. *Disher, Maurice Willson: ''The last romantic: the authorised biography of Sir John Martin-Harvey''. London: Hutchinson, 1948 *Edgar, George: ''Martin Harvey: some pages of his life''. London: Grant Richards, 1912. *Martin-Harvey, John, Sir: ''The book of Martin Harvey''. London: Henry Walker, 1930. *Martin-Harvey, John, Sir: ''The autobiography of Sir John Martin-Harvey''. London: Sampson Low, 1933.

External links

John Martin-Harvey on FlickrUniversity of Bristol Theatre Collection

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

John Martin-Harvey. Watercolors, 1884-1885
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, is located in Manhattan, New York City, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side, between the Metro ...

John Martin-Harvey fonds (R1803)
at

Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is t ...

. Fonds consists of correspondence from the Rt. Hon. W.L. Mackenzie King to Sir John Martin-Harvey discussing tours of Canada, theatre and politics. {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin-Harvey, John 1863 births 1944 deaths People educated at King's College School, London Actors awarded knighthoods English male stage actors Legion of Frontiersmen members People from Wivenhoe English male Shakespearean actors Male actors from Essex 19th-century English male actors 20th-century English male actors English male film actors English male silent film actors Actor-managers