Edith Cole | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Edith Julia Cole (1870-05-27)27 May 1870 |
| Died | 7 June 1927(1927-06-07) (aged 57) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Spouse | |
Edith Cole (27 May 1870 – 7 June 1927)[1][2] was a British stage actress and animal welfare activist.
Cole was born on 27 May 1870 in England, the daughter of Charles Cole.[1][2] She made her stage debut in December 1889 at theDrury Lane Theatre as a housemaid in the pantomimeJack and the Beanstalk. She appeared as Marianne in an 1894 revival ofThe Two Orphans at theAdelphi Theatre.[1][2]
One of her most successful roles was asJosephine in theNapoleonic dramaA Royal Divorce byW. G. Wills, and she reprised her role many times over the years. The play was promoted by impresario William Wallace Kelly, Cole's husband, and was his most successful production. Kelly was proprietor of the Shakespeare Theatre in Liverpool.[3]A Royal Divorce is mentioned repeatedly byJames Joyce inFinnegans Wake, and it is likely Joyce saw Cole's performance. Another success for Cole was her role as Frances Vere inThe Worst Woman in London (1903). She also wrote and appeared as Margaret Rossiter Strickland inThe Fires of Youth (1919).[1][2][4]
Cole was an ardentanti-vivisectionist andanimal welfare promoter.[5] She and her husband opened the "Edith Cole Home for Dogs" in Liverpool for theNational Canine Defence League.[6] She wrote a book,Scarlet and Grey in 1915 and donated the proceeds to theBlue Cross to assist horses wounded duringWorld War I.[7]
Cole died on 7 June 1927 inBirkenhead as a result of burns sustained after she cleaned a pair of gloves with petrol.[8][9] She left £4,240 in her will.[10]
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