Cecil Raleigh
Encyclopedia
Cecil Raleigh was an English actor
and playwright
.
He was the son of Dr. John Fothergill Rowlands, and took the stage name of Raleigh. He played for a time in musical comedy, but deserted acting for playwriting and, either alone or in collaboration, produced an immense number of melodramas, staged at first chiefly at the Comedy Theatre, London, and in later years at Drury Lane
. Cheer, Boys, Cheer (1895); Hearts are Trumps (1899); The Best of Friends (1902); and The Whip (1909–10) are typical examples. Several of his plays were later made into motion pictures. He also acted as dramatic critic to two or three London papers, and became secretary to the School of Dramatic Art in Gower St., London.
He married Effie Adelaide Henderson (later Madame Albanesi, 1859 – October 16, 1936), a British novelist who published as Effie Adelaide Rowlands
, whom he later divorced. He later married Saba Raleigh (1866–1923), an actress, with whom he remained married until his death in 1914.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
.
He was the son of Dr. John Fothergill Rowlands, and took the stage name of Raleigh. He played for a time in musical comedy, but deserted acting for playwriting and, either alone or in collaboration, produced an immense number of melodramas, staged at first chiefly at the Comedy Theatre, London, and in later years at Drury Lane
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
. Cheer, Boys, Cheer (1895); Hearts are Trumps (1899); The Best of Friends (1902); and The Whip (1909–10) are typical examples. Several of his plays were later made into motion pictures. He also acted as dramatic critic to two or three London papers, and became secretary to the School of Dramatic Art in Gower St., London.
He married Effie Adelaide Henderson (later Madame Albanesi, 1859 – October 16, 1936), a British novelist who published as Effie Adelaide Rowlands
Effie Adelaide Rowlands
Effie Adelaide Maria Albanesi, née Henderson , better known by her usual pen name of Effie Adelaide Rowlands, was a British novelist. She was the author of more than 250 six-penny novels.-Personal life and family:She was the illegitimate daughter of Alexander Henderson...
, whom he later divorced. He later married Saba Raleigh (1866–1923), an actress, with whom he remained married until his death in 1914.
Plays
- The Whip, 1909, with Henry HamiltonHenry Hamilton (playwright)Henry Hamilton was an English playwright, lyricist, and critic. He is best remembered for his musical theatre pieces....
, the basis for silent films of 1917 and 1928 - Sporting Life, with Seymour HicksSeymour HicksSir Arthur Seymour Hicks , better known as Seymour Hicks, was a British actor, music hall performer, playwright, screenwriter, theatre manager and producer. He married the actress Ellaline Terriss in 1893...
, the basis for silent films of 1918 and 1925 - Hearts Are Trumps, 1900, the basis for the 1920 silent film
- The Marriages of Mayfair, the basis for the 1920 silent film The Fatal Hour
- The Hope, with Hamilton, the basis for the 1920 silent film
- The Best of Luck, with Hamilton and Arthur Collins, the basis for the 1920 silent film
- The Derby Winner, co-written with Hamilton and Augustus HarrisAugustus HarrisSir Augustus Henry Glossop Harris , was a British actor, impresario, and dramatist.-Early life:Harris was born in Paris, France, the son of Augustus Glossop Harris , who was also a dramatist, and his wife, née Maria Ann Bone, a theatrical costumier...
, 1895, was produced in the United States under the title The Sporting Duchess. It was the basis of silent films of the same names in 1915 and 1923 - Cheer, Boys, Cheer, with Harris and Hamilton, 1895
- The Sporting Duchess, the basis for silent films of 1915 and 1920
- Dick Whittington, with Harris and Hamilton
- The White Heather, 1897, with Hamilton, the basis for the 1919 silent film
- The Sins of Society, 1909, with Hamilton, the basis for the 1915 silent film
- The Great Ruby, 1898, with Hamilton, the basis for the 1915 silent film
- The King's Minister, the basis for the 1914 silent film
- The Best of Friends
- The Price of Peace
- The Grey Mare, with George Robert SimsGeorge Robert SimsGeorge Robert Sims was an English journalist, poet, dramatist, novelist and bon vivant.Sims began writing lively humour and satiric pieces for Fun magazine and The Referee, but he was soon concentrating on social reform, particularly the plight of the poor in London's slums...
- The Guardsman, with Sims
- Stolen Orders, 1915, with Hamilton, turned into a motion picture in 1918
Musical theatre
- Little Christopher ColumbusLittle Christopher ColumbusLittle Christopher Columbus is a burlesque opera in two acts, with music by Ivan Caryll and Gustave Kerker and a libretto by George R. Sims and Cecil Raleigh. It opened on 10 October 1893 at the Lyric Theatre in London and then transferred to Terry's Theatre, running for a total of 421...
, 1893 burlesque, co-written with Sims - Dick Whittington and His CatDick Whittington and His CatDick Whittington and His Cat is an English folk tale that has often been used as the basis for stage pantomimes and other adaptations. It tells of a poor boy in the 14th century who becomes a wealthy merchant and eventually the Lord Mayor of London because of the ratting abilities of his cat...
, 1894 pantomimePantomimePantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
, co-written with Augustus HarrisAugustus HarrisSir Augustus Henry Glossop Harris , was a British actor, impresario, and dramatist.-Early life:Harris was born in Paris, France, the son of Augustus Glossop Harris , who was also a dramatist, and his wife, née Maria Ann Bone, a theatrical costumier...
and Hamilton - The YashmakThe YashmakThe Yashmak, A Story of the East is a musical play, with a libretto by Cecil Raleigh and Seymour Hicks, adapted from an Armenian operetta, Leblébidji Horhor, which had been a success in 1896 in Constantinople. The music was composed by Napoleon Lambelet , and additional songs were composed by...
, 1897 musical, co-written with Seymour HicksSeymour HicksSir Arthur Seymour Hicks , better known as Seymour Hicks, was a British actor, music hall performer, playwright, screenwriter, theatre manager and producer. He married the actress Ellaline Terriss in 1893... - The Sunshine GirlThe Sunshine GirlThe Sunshine Girl is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts with a book by Paul A. Rubens and Cecil Raleigh, lyrics and music by Rubens and additional lyrics by Arthur Wimperis. The story involves a working girl who falls in love with the heir to the factor...
, 1912 musical, book co-written with Paul A. Rubens
External links
- Obituary at the New York Times