Denise Orme
Encyclopedia
Jessie Smither best known by her stage name
Denise Orme, was an English
music hall
singer, actress and musician who appeared regularly at the Alhambra
and Gaiety Theatres
in London
in the early years of the 20th century.
(where she won the Wessely Violin Exhibition in 1899) and later the Royal College of Music
where she was 'discovered' as a singer by George Edwardes
.
, later taking the role of Blanche Marie in that production. Later the same year, she appeared in the title role of See See at the Prince of Wales Theatre
then appeared in The Merveilleuses
into early 1907.
In 1906, she also participated in gramophone
recordings of Gilbert and Sullivan
's The Mikado
.
She married three times:
After the birth of their first daughter, she returned to the stage in The Hon'ble Phil in October 1908, and as Lady Elizabeth Thanet in Our Miss Gibbs
at the Gaiety Theatre, London
.
In 1928, Orme and Lord Churston divorced. She then married Theodore Wessell later the same year on 30 October, bearing one son. On 11 March 1946, she married Edward FitzGerald, 7th Duke of Leinster
.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Denise Orme, was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
singer, actress and musician who appeared regularly at the Alhambra
Alhambra Theatre
The Alhambra was a popular theatre and music hall located on the east side of Leicester Square, in the West End of London. It was built originally as The Royal Panopticon of Science and Arts opening on 18 March 1854. It was closed after two years and reopened as the Alhambra. The building was...
and Gaiety Theatres
Gaiety Theatre, London
The Gaiety Theatre, London was a West End theatre in London, located on Aldwych at the eastern end of the Strand. The theatre was established as the Strand Musick Hall , in 1864 on the former site of the Lyceum Theatre. It was rebuilt several times, but closed from the beginning of World War II...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in the early years of the 20th century.
Early life
The only daughter of Alfred John Smither and Jessicah Henrietta Pococke, she studied at the Royal Academy of MusicRoyal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
(where she won the Wessely Violin Exhibition in 1899) and later the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
where she was 'discovered' as a singer by George Edwardes
George Edwardes
George Joseph Edwardes was an English theatre manager of Irish ancestry who brought a new era in musical theatre to the British stage and beyond....
.
Life & Career
Her first stage appearance was in 1906 in the chorus of The Little MichusThe Little Michus
Les p'tites Michu is an opérette in three acts, composed by André Messager. The libretto was by Albert Vanloo and Georges Duval.Dismayed by the Paris reception for his 1896 piece, Le Chevalier d’Harmental, Messager retreated to London vowing to write no more...
, later taking the role of Blanche Marie in that production. Later the same year, she appeared in the title role of See See at the Prince of Wales Theatre
Prince of Wales Theatre
The Prince of Wales Theatre is a West End theatre on Coventry Street, near Leicester Square in the City of Westminster. It was established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937, and extensively refurbished in 2004 by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, its current owner...
then appeared in The Merveilleuses
The Merveilleuses
The Merveilleuses is a musical play in three acts, with a book adapted from the French original of Victorien Sardou by Basil Hood, lyrics by Adrian Ross, and music by Hugo Felix...
into early 1907.
In 1906, she also participated in gramophone
Phonograph
The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
recordings of Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
's The Mikado
The Mikado
The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations...
.
She married three times:
- In KensingtonKensingtonKensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
Register Office, on 24 April 1907, she secretly married Lord Churston (1873-1930). They had four daughters and two sons:- Joan Barbara Yarde-Buller (born 22 April 1908). Married (1) in 1927, G/Capt Loel Guinness, divorced 1936 (2) in 1936, Prince Aly KhanPrince Aly KhanPrince Ali Solomone Aga Khan , known as Aly Khan was a son of Aga Khan III, the head of the Ismaili Muslims, and the father of Aga Khan IV. A socialite, racehorse owner and jockey, he was the third husband of actress Rita Hayworth...
(son of the Aga Khan IIIAga Khan IIISir Sultan Muhammed Shah, Aga Khan III, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, GCVO, PC was the 48th Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. He was one of the founders and the first president of the All-India Muslim League, and served as President of the League of Nations from 1937-38. He was nominated to represent India to...
) divorced 1949 (3) the 2nd Viscount CamroseSeymour Berry, 2nd Viscount CamroseJohn Seymour Berry, 2nd Viscount Camrose was a British nobleman, politician, and newspaper proprietor.John Berry was born in Surrey on 12 July 1909, the eldest son of William Berry, later first Viscount Camrose and first Baronet Berry of Hackwood Park, and Mary Agnes Berry, née Corns...
. - Richard Francis Roger Yarde-Buller, 4th Baron Churston (born 12 February 1910)
- John Reginald Henry Yarde-Buller (born 13 June 1915)
- Denise Margaret Yarde-Buller (born 24 October 1916). Married the 5th Lord EburyRobert Grosvenor, 5th Baron EburyRobert Egerton Grosvenor, DSO, 5th Baron Ebury , was a British politician.A member of the Grosvenor family headed by the Duke of Westminster, Ebury was the son of Francis Egerton Grosvenor, 4th Baron Ebury, and his wife Mary Adela...
. - Lydia Yarde-Buller (born 17 October 1917-25 July 2006). Married John Robert Russell, 13th Duke of Bedford
- Primrose Yarde-Buller (24 December 1918). Married William Gerald Charles Cadogan, 7th Earl Cadogan.
- Joan Barbara Yarde-Buller (born 22 April 1908). Married (1) in 1927, G/Capt Loel Guinness, divorced 1936 (2) in 1936, Prince Aly Khan
After the birth of their first daughter, she returned to the stage in The Hon'ble Phil in October 1908, and as Lady Elizabeth Thanet in Our Miss Gibbs
Our Miss Gibbs
Our Miss Gibbs is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts by 'Cryptos' and James T. Tanner, with lyrics by Adrian Ross and Percy Greenbank, music by Ivan Caryll and Lionel Monckton. Produced by George Edwardes, it opened at the Gaiety Theatre in London on 23 January 1909 and ran for an extremely...
at the Gaiety Theatre, London
Gaiety Theatre, London
The Gaiety Theatre, London was a West End theatre in London, located on Aldwych at the eastern end of the Strand. The theatre was established as the Strand Musick Hall , in 1864 on the former site of the Lyceum Theatre. It was rebuilt several times, but closed from the beginning of World War II...
.
In 1928, Orme and Lord Churston divorced. She then married Theodore Wessell later the same year on 30 October, bearing one son. On 11 March 1946, she married Edward FitzGerald, 7th Duke of Leinster
Edward FitzGerald, 7th Duke of Leinster
Edward FitzGerald, 7th Duke of Leinster, etc. , known as Lord Edward FitzGerald before 1922 was Ireland's Premier Peer of the Realm.-Life:...
.