Marie Booth Russell
Marie Booth Russell | |
|---|---|
 Marie Booth Russell as Juliet in 1909. | |
| Born | 1874 Brooklyn, New York |
| Died | October 31, 1911 Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Spouse | Robert B. Mantell (married 1899-1911) |
Marie Booth Russell (1874 – October 31, 1911) was an English actress.
Early life[edit]
Marie Booth Russell was born in Brooklyn. She attended St. Joseph's Academy in Flushing, and Emerson College in Boston.[1]
Career[edit]
Russell appeared many times on Broadway, often in Shakespeare dramas with her husband,[2] including Othello (1904, 1905, 1907, 1909), Richard III (1904, 1907, 1909), King Lear (1905, 1907, 1909), Macbeth (1905, 1907, 1909),[3] Hamlet (1905, 1909), The Merchant of Venice (1907), Julius Caesar (1907), King John (1909),[4] and Romeo and Juliet (1909). She was also in several Broadway productions of Richelieu (1904, 1905, 1907, 1909, 1911), The Light of Other Days (1903),[5] and in Louis XI (1909).[6]
"Miss Russell has very beautiful eyes," commented one American reviewer in 1907, "but she uses them too noticeably, which detracts from her work."[7] Her physical performance continued to draw criticism. "A worse exhibition of wriggling, writhing, moaning, gurgling, and mouthing cannot be imagined than she indulged in," commented another American reviewer in 1909, adding "If only she could learn the value of simplicity and naturalness."[8] An obituary put the issue diplomatically, saying "Her acting was more satisfying to the public than to the critics."[9]
Russell was an enthusiastic horsewoman.[10] She also wrote articles for magazines, and was public in her support for women's suffrage.[11]
Personal life[edit]
Marie Booth Russell had a daughter, Louisa (born 1894), from an early marriage.[12] She became the third wife of British actor Robert B. Mantell in 1899, and helped to raise his daughter, Ethel (born 1895).[13] She died in 1911,[14] at her home in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey,[1][15] aged 37 years, after "a malady of long standing gradually gained the mastery over her strong constitution," or kidney disease complicated by pneumonia.[16] Russell's protegee, American actress Genevieve Hamper, became Mantell's fourth and last wife.[12]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Marie Booth Russell Dead". The Boston Globe. 1911-11-01. p. 2. Retrieved 2020-04-28 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Anthony, Walter (1910-02-03). "Tragedian's Wife is Leading Woman". The San Francisco Call. p. 16. Retrieved 2020-04-28 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Portrayal of King Macbeth is a Real Thriller". Buffalo Courier. 1907-10-22. p. 7. Retrieved 2020-04-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "At the Playhouse". The Theatre. 9: 104. April 1909.
- ^ "Marie Booth Russell with Rob't B. Mantell in "The Light of Other Days" (1903)". Museum of the City of New York. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
- ^ "Mantell as Louis XI". The Baltimore Sun. 1909-02-16. p. 7. Retrieved 2020-04-28 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Plays and Players". The Index. 17: 37. November 2, 1907.
- ^ Shattuck, Charles Harlen (1976). Shakespeare on the American Stage: From Booth and Barrett to Sothern and Marlowe. Associated University Presses. p. 241. ISBN 978-0-918016-77-5.
- ^ "Mrs. Mantell Dead". The Evening Sun. 1911-11-01. p. 1. Retrieved 2020-04-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Miss Marie Booth Russell, Leading Lady for Mantell at Macdonough, is Fine Horsewoman". The Evening Times-Star and Alameda Daily Argus. 1910-03-22. p. 2. Retrieved 2020-04-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "In the Realm of Society". The Buffalo Times. 1910-09-30. p. 3. Retrieved 2020-04-28 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Bulliet, Clarence Joseph (1918). Robert Mantell's Romance. J. W. Luce. pp. 162, 230–231, 237–238.
- ^ "ROBERT MANTELL MARRIED.; Actor Wedded Marie Booth Russell Last May". The New York Times. 1900-08-19. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
- ^ Burr, Kate (1911-11-03). "Two Memories Alive". The Buffalo Times. p. 16. Retrieved 2020-04-28 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Spends Vacation as Farmer's Wife at Country Home". The Washington Times. 1911-03-31. p. 12. Retrieved 2020-04-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "MRS. ROBERT MANTELL DEAD.; Shakespearean Actor's Wife was Marie Booth Russell on Stage". The New York Times. 1911-11-01. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
External links[edit]
- Marie Booth Russell at Find a Grave
- Marie Booth Russell at the Internet Broadway Database
- A 1904 theatrical poster featuring Marie Booth Russell and Robert B. Mantell, in the collection of the Library of Congress.
- A photograph of Marie Booth Russell in the collection of the Folger Shakespeare Library.
- An autographed photograph of Marie Booth Russell from 1908, in the J. Willis Sayre Collection of Theatrical Photographs, University of Washington.
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