Florence Gerald
American writer, stage actress (1858–1942)
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Florence Melton Gerald (1858–1942) was an American stage actress, poet, and writer. She was known for her acting roles in Broadway theatre.
September 23, 1858
Florence Gerald | |
|---|---|
Gerald, 1880 | |
| Born | Florence Melton Gerald September 23, 1858 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | September 6, 1942 (aged 83) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Burial place | Kensico Cemetery |
| Education | Waco University |
| Occupations | Stage actress, poet, writer |
Early life and education
Florence Melton Gerald was born on September 23, 1858, in New Orleans, to parents Omega Melton (1836–1918) and Judge George Bruce Gerald (1835–1914).[1] Her maternal grandfather James G. Melton had owned the only hotel at Washington-on-the-Brazos, Texas in the 19th-century, which had been a gathering place on March 2, 1836, after Texas Declaration of Independence, and was once home to the original Texas Liberty Bell.[2]
Gerald attended Waco University (now Baylor University) in Waco, Texas, where she studied poetry and graduated in 1873,[3] and in 1880.[1] She published the book, Adenheim and Other Poems (1880).
Career
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After graduation, she was hired as an elocution instructor (public speaking) at Waco Female College.[1] Her interest in working as a playwright started after her graduation.
In 1898, she headed for the theater district in New York City to begin her stage acting career.[1] Under the management of Charles Frohman, Gerald started her acting career on Broadway in, The Girl from Maxim’s (1898) at the Grand Opera House.[4]
Gerald wrote the play, The Woman Pays, which was adapted into the 1915 silent film by screenwriter Harry Chandlee.[1]
She appeared in the R. L. McLaughlin Stock Co. at the Ohio Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio in the summer of 1924.[5]
Gerald died at age 83, on September 6, 1942, at the St. James Hotel at Broadway and 26th Street in New York City.[4] She is buried at Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, Westchester County, New York in the Actors' Fund area.
Theater
| Date(s) | Title | Role | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1894 | The Two Orphans | Countess de Liniers | Broadway Lyceum, Buffalo, New York | [6] |
| Aug. 29, 1899 – Oct. 1899 | The Girl from Maxim's | Mme. Petypont | Grand Opera House, New York City,
Criterion Theatre, New York City |
Hyde and Benham[7] |
| 1899 | The Angel of the Alley | Mrs. Bennett | New York City | directed by Theo Kremer[8] |
| Feb. 17, 1903 – April 30, 1903 | Resurrection | Aunt Mary | Hammerstein's Victoria, New York City | [9][10] |
| Dec. 22, 1909 – Jan. 15, 1910 | The Goddess of Liberty | Lady FitzHugh Murray | Weber's Music Hall, New York City | musical play produced by Joseph E. Howard[11][12] |
| Dec. 24, 1913 – Jan. 1, 1914 | We Are Seven | Maxine Elliott's Theatre, New York City | ||
| May 5, 1914 – May 31, 1914 | The Charm of Isabel | Maxine Elliott's Theatre, New York City | ||
| May 25, 1920 – May 31, 1920 | An Innocent Idea | Mrs. Case | Fulton Theatre, New York City | |
| Aug. 30, 1920 – Sept. 1, 1920 | Immodest Violet | Mrs. Amantha Rose | 48th Street Theatre, New York City | |
| April 17, 1923 – April 28, 1923 | Within Four Walls | Louisa Minuit | Selwyn Theatre, New York City | directed by Mack Hilliard[13] |
| Oct. 16, 1923–June 15, 1924 | The Shame Woman | Martha Case | Greenwich Village Theatre, New York City | [14][15] |
| Feb. 10, 1925 – May 1, 1925 | The Rat | Mme. Colline | Astor Theatre, New York City, New York | produced by Earl Carroll[5] |
| Nov. 16, 1926 – Dec. 1, 1926 | Lily Sue | Phronia | Lyceum Theatre, New York City | [16] |
| Jan. 18, 1927 – July 30, 1927 | The Barker | Maw Benson | Princess Theatre, New York City,
Biltmore Theatre, New York City |
produced by Charles L. Wagner[17][18] |
| Mar. 8, 1927 –Mar. 31, 1927 | The Heaven Tappers | Mrs. Gilson | Forrest Theatre, New York City | |
| Feb. 21, 1928 – Mar. 1, 1928 | Maya | as 'mama' | Comedy Theatre, New York City | |
| Jan. 2, 1933 – Jan. 31, 1933 | Saint Wench | Lyceum Theatre, New York City | ||
| Dec. 10, 1934 –Jan. 26, 1935 | Valley Forge | as 'auntie' | Guild Theatre, New York City | |
| Oct. 14, 1935 | Tobacco Road | Ada Lester | Lyric Theatre, Allentown, Pennsylvania | [19] |
| Dec. 14, 1937 | Tobacco Road | Ada Lester | Paramount Theatre, Alexandria, Louisiana | [20] |
| Dec. 31, 1937 | Tobacco Road | Ada Lester | Plaza Theatre, Palm Springs, California | [21] |
Publications
- Gerald, Florence M. (1880). Adenheim, And Other Poems. St. Louis, MO: G. I. Jones and Company. LCCN 27018203.
