Viola Allen
Encyclopedia
Viola Emily Allen was an American stage actress who played leading roles in Shakespere and other plays, including many original plays. She starred in over two dozen Broadway productions from 1885 to 1916. Beginning in 1915, she appeared in three silent films.
in 1867 (some sources say 1869 see discussion), the daughter of actor C. Leslie Allen. She moved to Boston at three years of age and later moved with her family to Toronto. She was educated at the Bishop Strachan School
, her brothers being educated at Trinity College School
, Port Hope, Ontario
.
Allen was educated in Boston, Toronto and New York City. With her family involved with theatre
, she had her first stage appearance at the age of 15 at the Madison Square Theatre, in New York in 1882. This followed the sudden illness of Annie Russell
, who was playing the title role in Esmeralda at the Madison Square Theatre. Her father was a member of the cast. The theater's stage manager asked if Mr. Allen would allow his daughter to play the part. Viola's debut on July 4, 1882, attracted the attention of actor John McCullough
, who made Viola his leading lady in 1884.
Between the years of 1884 and 1886, she performed in a variety of modern and Shakespearean plays. She performed with the best-known 19th century actors. She is best remembered for her roles in Shenandoah
(by Bronson Howard
) and Little Lord Fauntleroy
(by Frances Eliza Burnett). From 1885 to 1916, Allen starred in over two dozen Broadway productions, creating characters in many original plays. She played classical Shakesperian and comedy roles with Salvini, Lawrence Jarrett, Joseph Jefferson and V. J. Florence. In 1898, she created the character of Gloria Quayle in "The Christian." She acted in The Masqueraders, Under the Red Robe
, The Christian, In the Palace of the King (1900), Twelfth Night, A Winter's Tale, As You Like It
, The Lady of Coventry (1911), and others. She played such roles as Virginia, Cordelia, Desdemona, Lydia Languish, Dolores, Julia and Roma.
Allen starred in the 1915 silent film The White Sister along with Richard Travers
. The film was produced by the Essanay Studios
and was based on the 1909 play The White Sister that was a hit for Allen. She was married to Peter Duryea. Her last professional appearance was in 1918, at a benefit supporting war relief. She remained an active supporter of charitable and theatrical organizations.
She died in New York City
, and is buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
, Sleepy Hollow, New York
.
Biography
Allen was born in Huntsville, AlabamaHuntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
in 1867 (some sources say 1869 see discussion), the daughter of actor C. Leslie Allen. She moved to Boston at three years of age and later moved with her family to Toronto. She was educated at the Bishop Strachan School
Bishop Strachan School
The Bishop Strachan School is Canada’s oldest day and boarding school for girls. The School has approximately 820 day students and 80 boarding students ranging from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 . The school seeks to nurture the academic, social, emotional, spiritual, creative and physical...
, her brothers being educated at Trinity College School
Trinity College School
Trinity College School is a coeducational, independent boarding/day school located in Port Hope, Ontario, Canada. TCS was founded on May 1, 1865, more than 2 years prior to Canadian Confederation. It includes a Senior School for grades 9 to 12 and a Junior School for grades 5 to 8.Among its...
, Port Hope, Ontario
Port Hope, Ontario
Port Hope is a municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, about east of Toronto and about west of Kingston. It is located at the mouth of the Ganaraska River on the north shore of Lake Ontario, in the west end of Northumberland County...
.
Allen was educated in Boston, Toronto and New York City. With her family involved with theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, she had her first stage appearance at the age of 15 at the Madison Square Theatre, in New York in 1882. This followed the sudden illness of Annie Russell
Annie Russell
Annie Ellen Russell was an English born American stage actress.-Early life:Russell was born on in Liverpool, England, of Irish parents, Joseph Russell and Jane Mount. She moved to Canada when she was a child. She made her first appearance on the stage at eight years old at the Montreal Academy of...
, who was playing the title role in Esmeralda at the Madison Square Theatre. Her father was a member of the cast. The theater's stage manager asked if Mr. Allen would allow his daughter to play the part. Viola's debut on July 4, 1882, attracted the attention of actor John McCullough
John Edward McCullough
John Edward McCullough was an American actor.He was born in Coleraine, Ireland. He went to America at the age of sixteen, and made his first appearance on the stage at the Arch Street Theatre, Philadelphia, in 1857...
, who made Viola his leading lady in 1884.
Between the years of 1884 and 1886, she performed in a variety of modern and Shakespearean plays. She performed with the best-known 19th century actors. She is best remembered for her roles in Shenandoah
Shenandoah (musical)
Shenandoah is a musical that was written in 1975 with music by Gary Geld, lyrics by Peter Udell, and a book by Udell, Philip Rose and James Lee Barrett, based on Barrett's original screenplay for the 1965 film Shenandoah.-Productions:...
(by Bronson Howard
Bronson Howard
Bronson Howard was a well-known American dramatist and son of Detroit mayor Charles Howard. He prepared for college at New Haven, Conn., but instead of entering Yale he turned to Journalism in New York. From 1867 to 1872 he worked on several newspapers, among them the Evening Mail and the Tribune...
) and Little Lord Fauntleroy
Little Lord Fauntleroy
Little Lord Fauntleroy is the first children's novel written by English playwright and author Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was originally published as a serial in the St. Nicholas Magazine between November 1885 and October 1886, then as a book by Scribner's in 1886...
(by Frances Eliza Burnett). From 1885 to 1916, Allen starred in over two dozen Broadway productions, creating characters in many original plays. She played classical Shakesperian and comedy roles with Salvini, Lawrence Jarrett, Joseph Jefferson and V. J. Florence. In 1898, she created the character of Gloria Quayle in "The Christian." She acted in The Masqueraders, Under the Red Robe
Under the Red Robe
Under the Red Robe is an 1894 historical novel by Stanley J. Weyman, described as his best known book and greatest success. It is set in seventeenth-century France during the ascendency of Cardinal Richelieu, who appears as a character in the novel...
, The Christian, In the Palace of the King (1900), Twelfth Night, A Winter's Tale, As You Like It
As You Like It
As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
, The Lady of Coventry (1911), and others. She played such roles as Virginia, Cordelia, Desdemona, Lydia Languish, Dolores, Julia and Roma.
Allen starred in the 1915 silent film The White Sister along with Richard Travers
Richard Travers
Richard Travers was a Canadian film actor of the silent era. He appeared in 143 films between 1912 and 1930.-Selected filmography:* The Ambition of the Baron * The Romance of an American Duchess...
. The film was produced by the Essanay Studios
Essanay Studios
The Essanay Film Manufacturing Company was an American motion picture studio. It is best known today for its series of Charlie Chaplin comedies of 1915.-Founding:...
and was based on the 1909 play The White Sister that was a hit for Allen. She was married to Peter Duryea. Her last professional appearance was in 1918, at a benefit supporting war relief. She remained an active supporter of charitable and theatrical organizations.
She died in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and is buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, New York is the resting place of numerous famous figures, including Washington Irving, whose story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is set in the adjacent Old Dutch Burying Ground. Incorporated in 1849 as Tarrytown Cemetery, it posthumously honored Irving's...
, Sleepy Hollow, New York
Sleepy Hollow, New York
Sleepy Hollow is a village in the town of Mount Pleasant in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, about north of midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by the Philipse Manor stop on the Metro-North Hudson Line.Originally...
.
Filmography
- The Scales of Justice (1914)
- The White Sister (1915)
- Open Your Eyes (1919)
Literature
- L. C. Strang, Famous Actresses of the Day in America, (Boston, 1899)
- J. B. Clapp and E. F. Edgett, Players of the Present, (New York, 1899)
External links
- Viola Allen portrait gallery at NYP Library