Gertrude Elliott | |
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 | |
| Born | May Gertrude Dermott (1874-12-14)December 14, 1874 Rockland, Maine, U.S. |
| Died | December 24, 1950(1950-12-24) (aged 76) |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Lady Forbes-Robertson |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Spouse | his death |
| Children | 4, includingMaxine (Blossom) Miles,Diana Forbes-Robertson, andJean Forbes-Robertson |
| Relatives | Joanna Van Gyseghem (granddaughter) |
Gertrude Elliott (December 14, 1874 – December 24, 1950), laterLady Forbes-Robertson, was an American stage actress, part of an extended family of theatre professionals including her husband, SirJohnston Forbes-Robertson, and her elder sister,Maxine Elliott. She was President of theActresses' Franchise League in the UK.
May Gertrude Dermott was born inRockland, Maine.[1]
Elliott's career on stage began in 1894, with a role inOscar Wilde'sA Woman of No Importance, in a company that was touring New York state.[2] The Elliott sisters joined a company in San Francisco that toured Australia in 1896. The company was run byNat C. Goodwin, an actor who soon married Maxine Elliott. Their company went to London in 1899, and the next year Elliott was hired into the company of Johnston Forbes-Robertson; Elliott and Forbes-Robertson married at the end of 1900, and continued to work together predominantly in Shakespearean works for much of their careers.[3]
Away from the stage, Elliott starred with her husband in a silent film version ofHamlet in 1913, directed by their friendJ. H. Ryley. She also appeared in a 1917 silent film,Masks and Faces. Elliott was a co-founder of theActresses' Franchise League withSime Seruya,Winifred Mayo andAdeline Bourne, and served as president.[4] DuringWorld War I she managed the "Shakespeare Hut" in Bloomsbury, a project of theYMCA for entertaining and raising morale among war workers.[5] In 1923, New Zealand gave Elliott an award for her work forANZAC troops during the war.[6]
Elliott married English actor Johnston Forbes-Robertson in 1900. They had four daughters, including aircraft designerMaxine (Blossom) Miles, writerDiana Forbes-Robertson, and actressJean Forbes-Robertson. Johnston was knighted in 1913, making Elliott "Lady Forbes-Robertson" from that time.[7] She was widowed when her husband died in 1937, and Elliott died in 1950, aged 76 years. Her grandchildren include actressJoanna Van Gyseghem.[8]
There is a plaque marking the birthplace of the Elliott sisters in the Trackside Station in Rockland, Maine.[9]
Media related toGertrude Elliott at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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