Kate Bishop (actress)
Encyclopedia
Kate Bishop was an English actress from Bristol
, a member of a theatrical family. Her brother and daughter were also successful actors. Her greatest success was in Our Boys
, which ran for more than four years in London. She temporarily retired from the theatre in the late nineteenth century, and returned to play character roles in the early years of the twentieth century.
in Bristol
in 1863. Her brother Alfred also successfully entered the theatrical profession.
in a revival of Our American Cousin
, in which The Manchester Guardian thought her "arch" but "lacking in dignity". In the West End
she appeared in A Loving Cup at the Royalty Theatre
in 1869, and in 1871 at the Royal Court Theatre
in a succession of three new plays by W. S. Gilbert
, playing Edith Temple in Randall's Thumb
, Pipette in Creatures of Impulse
, and Jessie Blake in On Guard. Of her performance in the last, The Times
commented, "The notion of the irresistible flirt is completely realized by Miss Kate Bishop." Bishop played in About Town by Bertie Vyse in 1873 and Ruy Blas Righted and Romulus and Remus, both by Robert Reece
, in 1874.
Her most famous stage role was Violet Melrose in H. J. Byron's Our Boys
, which she created in January 1875 and played practically continuously throughout its historic run of four years and four months. When Our Boys finally closed, it was by far the longest-running work of theatre up to that time. Byron supplied a successor, The Girls, in which Bishop had another leading role. Family life in Australia took her away from the English stage for some 15 years at the end of the nineteenth century. In 1900 she returned to the stage in Struwwelpeter
, at the Garrick Theatre
, together with George Grossmith Jr. She played Mrs Percival de Hooley in Jerome K. Jerome
's The Passing of the Third Floor Black in 1908. In 1909 she appeared on Broadway
in Penelope, by Somerset Maugham, at the Lyceum Theatre. Her last stage appearance was in 1915, as Lady Matilda Rye in H. A. Vachell's
The Case of Lady Camber at the Savoy Theatre
.
of the Melbourne
Opera House
. Five years later their daughter Marie
, later a leading actress, was born in Sydney
, Australia
.
Bishop died in London, aged 75.
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, a member of a theatrical family. Her brother and daughter were also successful actors. Her greatest success was in Our Boys
Our Boys
Our Boys is a comedy in three acts written by Henry James Byron, first performed in London on 16 January 1875 at the Vaudeville Theatre. Until it was surpassed by the run of Charley's Aunt in the 1890s, it was the world's longest-running play, up to that time, with 1,362 performances until April...
, which ran for more than four years in London. She temporarily retired from the theatre in the late nineteenth century, and returned to play character roles in the early years of the twentieth century.
Biography
Bishop was born into a theatrical family, the daughter of Charles Bishop. She began acting as a childChild actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
in 1863. Her brother Alfred also successfully entered the theatrical profession.
Career
In 1868, Bishop appeared with Edward Askew SothernEdward Askew Sothern
Edward Askew Sothern was an English actor known for his comic roles in Britain and America, particularly Lord Dundreary in Our American Cousin.- Early years :...
in a revival of Our American Cousin
Our American Cousin
Our American Cousin is an 1858 play in three acts by English playwright Tom Taylor. The play is a farce whose plot is based on the introduction of an awkward, boorish but honest American, Asa Trenchard, to his aristocratic English relatives when he goes to England to claim the family estate...
, in which The Manchester Guardian thought her "arch" but "lacking in dignity". In the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
she appeared in A Loving Cup at the Royalty Theatre
Royalty Theatre
The Royalty Theatre was a small London theatre situated at 73 Dean Street, Soho and opened on 25 May 1840 as Miss Kelly's Theatre and Dramatic School and finally closed to the public in 1938. The architect was Samuel Beazley, a resident in Soho Square, who also designed St James's Theatre, among...
in 1869, and in 1871 at the Royal Court Theatre
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
in a succession of three new plays by W. S. Gilbert
W. S. Gilbert
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his fourteen comic operas produced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, of which the most famous include H.M.S...
, playing Edith Temple in Randall's Thumb
Randall's Thumb
Randall's Thumb is a play by W. S. Gilbert that premièred in 1871 at the opening of Marie Litton's Royal Court Theatre in London. Its plot, based on a short story that Gilbert had published the year before, relates how the forger Randall blackmails the innocent Buckthorpe for a crime he did not...
, Pipette in Creatures of Impulse
Creatures of Impulse
Creatures of Impulse is a stage play by English dramatist W. S. Gilbert, with music by composer-conductor Alberto Randegger, which Gilbert adapted from his own short story...
, and Jessie Blake in On Guard. Of her performance in the last, The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
commented, "The notion of the irresistible flirt is completely realized by Miss Kate Bishop." Bishop played in About Town by Bertie Vyse in 1873 and Ruy Blas Righted and Romulus and Remus, both by Robert Reece
Robert Reece
Robert Reece was a British comic playwright and librettist active in the Victorian era. He wrote many successful musical burlesques, comic operas, farces and adaptations from the French, including the English-language adaptation of the operetta Les cloches de Corneville, which became the...
, in 1874.
Her most famous stage role was Violet Melrose in H. J. Byron's Our Boys
Our Boys
Our Boys is a comedy in three acts written by Henry James Byron, first performed in London on 16 January 1875 at the Vaudeville Theatre. Until it was surpassed by the run of Charley's Aunt in the 1890s, it was the world's longest-running play, up to that time, with 1,362 performances until April...
, which she created in January 1875 and played practically continuously throughout its historic run of four years and four months. When Our Boys finally closed, it was by far the longest-running work of theatre up to that time. Byron supplied a successor, The Girls, in which Bishop had another leading role. Family life in Australia took her away from the English stage for some 15 years at the end of the nineteenth century. In 1900 she returned to the stage in Struwwelpeter
Struwwelpeter
Der Struwwelpeter is a popular German children's book by Heinrich Hoffmann. It comprises ten illustrated and rhymed stories, mostly about children. Each has a clear moral that demonstrates the disastrous consequences of misbehavior in an exaggerated way. The title of the first story provides the...
, at the Garrick Theatre
Garrick Theatre
The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster. It opened on 24 April 1889 with The Profligate, a play by Arthur Wing Pinero. In its early years, it appears to have specialised in the performance of melodrama, and today the theatre is a...
, together with George Grossmith Jr. She played Mrs Percival de Hooley in Jerome K. Jerome
Jerome K. Jerome
Jerome Klapka Jerome was an English writer and humorist, best known for the humorous travelogue Three Men in a Boat.Jerome was born in Caldmore, Walsall, England, and was brought up in poverty in London...
's The Passing of the Third Floor Black in 1908. In 1909 she appeared on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in Penelope, by Somerset Maugham, at the Lyceum Theatre. Her last stage appearance was in 1915, as Lady Matilda Rye in H. A. Vachell's
Horace Annesley Vachell
Horace Annesley Vachell was a prolific English writer of novels, plays, short stories, essays and autobiographical works.Born in Sydenham, Kent on 30 October 1861, he was educated at Harrow and Sandhurst. After a short period in the Rifle Brigade, he went to California where he became partner in...
The Case of Lady Camber at the Savoy Theatre
Savoy Theatre
The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre located in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre opened on 10 October 1881 and was built by Richard D'Oyly Carte on the site of the old Savoy Palace as a showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan,...
.
Personal life
In 1885, Bishop married Lewis J. Löhr, treasurerTreasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...
of the Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
Opera House
Opera house
An opera house is a theatre building used for opera performances that consists of a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and set building...
. Five years later their daughter Marie
Marie Lohr
Marie Lohr was an Australian film and stage actress.-Biography:Marie Löhr was born in Sydney to Lewis J. Löhr, treasurer of the Melbourne opera house, and his wife, the English actress Kate Bishop...
, later a leading actress, was born in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Bishop died in London, aged 75.