Helen Maud Holt (5 October 1863[1] – 7 August 1937), professionally known asMrs Beerbohm Tree and laterLady Tree, was an English actress. She was the wife of the actor SirHerbert Beerbohm Tree and the mother ofViola Tree,Felicity Tree andIris Tree.
After early stage appearances beginning in 1883, Mrs Tree married and established a theatrical partnership with her husband, in which they appeared in revivals of classic plays and productions of new plays, first at theTheatre Royal, Haymarket and then atHer Majesty's Theatre. Her performances in serious roles were well received, but she was most celebrated for her work in comedy, from Shakespeare to new works by Wilde and others.
After her husband's death in 1917, Lady Tree continued to act steadily for almost two decades more until towards the end of her life, in plays and some films, making her last stage appearance in 1935.
Holt was born in London, the daughter of William Holt.[2] She was educated atQueen's College, London, taking high honours inclassics, and making her stage debut in a student production of a Greek drama.[2] Her professional debut was in January 1883, playing Jenny Northcott in a revival ofSweethearts, byW. S. Gilbert, at theGaiety Theatre, London.[2] Later that year, she married the young actorHerbert Beerbohm Tree. In May 1883, she played her first Shakespearean role, Olivia inTwelfth Night.[2]
In September 1883, now billed under her married name, Mrs Beerbohm Tree, she had whatThe Times called "her first big hit" as Hester Gould in G. W. Godfrey'sThe Millionaire. The reviewer inThe Times wrote, "Another excellent impersonation is the Hester Gould of Mrs Beerbohm Tree, a lady who, although new to the stage, has manifestly the temperament and artistic sense of a fine actress. The viperine qualities of this mysterious mischief-maker … are rendered by Mrs Beerbohm Tree with extraordinary incisiveness, and with a concentration of nervous force suggestive of MadameSarah Bernhardt."[3]
For the next four years, Mrs Tree appeared in a range of roles, including that of Maud in Tree's one-act playSix and Eightpence, but husband and wife did not appear in the same plays.[2] In 1887, however, she joined Tree's company at theTheatre Royal, Haymarket, appearing with him in numerous roles.[2] Under Tree's direction she played in works byPinero,Grundy,Wilde,Sheridan and Shakespeare.[4] I
Her husband opened the rebuiltHer Majesty's Theatre in 1887, where she then appeared under his direction, also assisting him in theatre management.[5] In 1893, she created the role of Mrs Allonby in Wilde'sA Woman of No Importance, opposite Tree's Lord Illingworth.[6]
Although most celebrated for her performances in contemporary comedies, Mrs Tree appeared with success in more serious roles, including Ophelia inHamlet (1891, 1882, and 1905), Lady Percy inHenry IV, Part 1, Calpurnia inJulius Caesar (1900), Gertrude inHamlet (1905), and Portia inJulius Caesar (1911).[7]
In Shakespearean comedy she was well known for her appearances inThe Merry Wives of Windsor, in which at various stages in her career she played the juvenile lead, Ann Page, and then both of the merry wives in different productions.[8] Other Shakespeare roles were Titania inA Midsummer Night's Dream (1900), Beatrice inMuch Ado About Nothing (1905), and Mistress Quickly inHenry IV, Part 1 (1935).[7]
Although "fond of joking about her comparative importance as Mrs Tree and later as Lady Tree",[4] she was, according toThe Manchester Guardian "a witty woman, and by no means an unimportant actress."[4] She exercised discreet influence on Tree's career, persuading him in 1898 that he should play Marc Antony inJulius Caesar, rather than Brutus as he had intended. The effectiveness of her advice was shown when, in the words ofThe Times, the production "made the name of Tree famous throughout the theatrical world."[2]
Both Tree and his wife were enthusiastic participants in the new medium of filmed drama. She appeared inStill Waters Run Deep (1916),Little Dorrit (1920),Such is the Law (1930),Wedding Rehearsal (1932),Early to Bed,The Girl from Maxim's (1933),The Private Life of Henry VIII andHer Imaginary Lover (all in 1933), andThe Man Who Could Work Miracles (1936).[2]
Tree died in 1917. His wife continued acting after his death, working until almost the end of her life 20 years later. Among the roles for which she was most celebrated were Lady Teazle inThe School for Scandal and Mrs Malaprop inThe Rivals, one of the highlights of her later career.[2] Her colleagueJohn Martin Harvey said of her, "In her latter years she created a distinct type of acting so clever that no one was able to imitate it."[9]
Lady Tree's last stage appearances were in 1935, as Mistress Quickly toGeorge Robey's Falstaff at His Majesty's Theatre, and as the Duchess of Stroud inOur Own Lives at theAmbassadors Theatre, withIrene Vanbrugh.[2] A volume of correspondence between Maud and her literary, business and family contacts was edited and published by Susana Cory-Wright (nee Torrents dels Prats), the ex-wife of her great grandson, Anthony Jonathan Cory-Wright, titledLady Tree: A Theatrical Life in Letters (2012).[10]
She died atUniversity College Hospital, London, after an operation, at age 73.[11]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1916 | Still Waters Run Deep | Mrs. Sternhold | |
| 1920 | Little Dorrit | Mrs. Clenman | |
| 1930 | Such Is the Law | Granny | |
| 1932 | Wedding Rehearsal | the Countess of Stokeshire | |
| 1933 | The Private Life of Henry VIII | The King's Nurse | |
| 1933 | The Girl from Maxim's | Madame Petypon | |
| 1933 | Early to Bed | Widow Seidelblast | |
| 1933 | Her Imaginary Lover | Grandma | |
| 1936 | The Man Who Could Work Miracles | Grigsby's Housekeeper | (final film role) |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
