Maxine Elliott
Encyclopedia
Maxine Elliott was an American stage actress.
It is said that reviewers disagreed "over whether it was her beauty or her acting ability that attracted attention" In addition to her stage skills, Elliott was also a savvy businesswoman.
Born Jessie Dermott in 1868 (some sources give 1871). By age 15 in 1883 the already developed Jessie was seduced and made pregnant by a 25-year-old male whom she may have married underage according to her niece's biography. She miscarried or lost the baby. This incident left a psychological wound on Jessie for the rest of her life. What became of this first husband is unknown. Jessie adopted her stage name Maxine Elliott in 1889, making her first appearance in 1890 in The Middleman. In 1895, she got her first big break when Augustin Daly
hired her as a supporting actress for his star player, Ada Rehan
. After divorcing her first husband, Elliott married comedian Nat C. Goodwin in 1898. The two starred together at home and abroad in such hits as Nathan Hale and The Cowboy and the Lady.
In a production of The Merchant of Venice
, she negotiated a contract for $200 and one-half of the profits over $20,000. She was billed alone when Charles B. Dillingham
's production of Her Own Way opened on Broadway on September 28, 1903. From then on, Elliott was a star. When the production moved to London in 1905, King Edward VII asked that she be presented to him. Her younger sister, Gertrude, was married to the English actor Sir Johnston Forbes-Robertson
.
Goodwin eventually divorced Elliott in 1908. Around this time she became friendly with financier J. P. Morgan
. Some biographers of Morgan claim the seventy year old Morgan had a sexual relationship with Maxine but no evidence substantiates these rumors. Assuredly Morgan gave her financial advice of all sorts and she became a rich woman because of this advice. Shortly after divorcing Goodwin, she returned to New York City and with Morgan's help opened her own theater The Maxine Elliott, opening with The Chaperon. Elliott experimented with acting in silent films in 1913. In that year, she was in Slim Driscoll, Samaritan, When the West Was Young and A Doll for the Baby, but soon returned to London
. In 1917 she returned to the U.S. and signed with newly formed Goldwyn
Pictures to make Fighting Odds and The Eternal Magdalene. None of Elliott's films have survived the decades but evidence points to Fighting Odds surviving in Russia's Gosfilmofond. However Elliott can be seen visiting Charlie Chaplin's studios in 1918 and cavorting with him and her entourage before Chaplin's cameras. Her visit to Chaplin survives and usually ends up in omnibus videos on Chaplin.
During World War I
, Elliott returned to Europe and volunteered both her income and her time to the cause of Belgian relief, for which she received the Order of the Crown (Belgium)
. She was dating tennis star Tony Wilding
and they may have planned to marry, but he died in 1915 in France during World War 1.
Elliott's last stage appearance was in 1920 in Trimmed in Scarlett, aged 52. She then retired from acting, announcing that she "wished to grow middle-aged gracefully". Successful in business and investment, Elliott had homes in America and in Europe. She died in Cannes, France, a wealthy woman, at the age of 72. She was the subject of a biography titled "My Aunt Maxine: The Story of Maxine Elliot" c.1964 written by her niece Diana Forbes-Robertson.
It is said that reviewers disagreed "over whether it was her beauty or her acting ability that attracted attention" In addition to her stage skills, Elliott was also a savvy businesswoman.
Born Jessie Dermott in 1868 (some sources give 1871). By age 15 in 1883 the already developed Jessie was seduced and made pregnant by a 25-year-old male whom she may have married underage according to her niece's biography. She miscarried or lost the baby. This incident left a psychological wound on Jessie for the rest of her life. What became of this first husband is unknown. Jessie adopted her stage name Maxine Elliott in 1889, making her first appearance in 1890 in The Middleman. In 1895, she got her first big break when Augustin Daly
Augustin Daly
John Augustin Daly was an American theatrical manager and playwright active in both the US and UK.-Biography:Daly was born in Plymouth, North Carolina and educated at Norfolk, Va...
hired her as a supporting actress for his star player, Ada Rehan
Ada Rehan
Ada Rehan was an American actress.-Biography:She was born as Ada Crehan in County Limerick, Ireland, and brought to the United States at about the age of six years....
. After divorcing her first husband, Elliott married comedian Nat C. Goodwin in 1898. The two starred together at home and abroad in such hits as Nathan Hale and The Cowboy and the Lady.
In a production of The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic...
, she negotiated a contract for $200 and one-half of the profits over $20,000. She was billed alone when Charles B. Dillingham
Charles B. Dillingham
Charles Bancroft Dillingham was a Broadway producer. He started his career as a theater reviewer for the New York Evening Post, then became a manager for such actors as Julia Marlowe....
's production of Her Own Way opened on Broadway on September 28, 1903. From then on, Elliott was a star. When the production moved to London in 1905, King Edward VII asked that she be presented to him. Her younger sister, Gertrude, was married to the English actor Sir Johnston Forbes-Robertson
Johnston Forbes-Robertson
Sir Johnston Forbes-Robertson was an English actor and theatre manager. He was considered the finest Hamlet of the nineteenth century and one of the finest actors of his time, despite his dislike of the job and his lifelong belief that he was temperamentally unsuited to acting.-Early life:Born in...
.
Goodwin eventually divorced Elliott in 1908. Around this time she became friendly with financier J. P. Morgan
J. P. Morgan
John Pierpont Morgan was an American financier, banker and art collector who dominated corporate finance and industrial consolidation during his time. In 1892 Morgan arranged the merger of Edison General Electric and Thomson-Houston Electric Company to form General Electric...
. Some biographers of Morgan claim the seventy year old Morgan had a sexual relationship with Maxine but no evidence substantiates these rumors. Assuredly Morgan gave her financial advice of all sorts and she became a rich woman because of this advice. Shortly after divorcing Goodwin, she returned to New York City and with Morgan's help opened her own theater The Maxine Elliott, opening with The Chaperon. Elliott experimented with acting in silent films in 1913. In that year, she was in Slim Driscoll, Samaritan, When the West Was Young and A Doll for the Baby, but soon returned to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. In 1917 she returned to the U.S. and signed with newly formed Goldwyn
Goldwyn Pictures
Goldwyn Pictures Corporation was an American motion picture production company founded in 1916 by Samuel Goldfish in partnership with Broadway producers Edgar and Archibald Selwyn using an amalgamation of both last names to create the name...
Pictures to make Fighting Odds and The Eternal Magdalene. None of Elliott's films have survived the decades but evidence points to Fighting Odds surviving in Russia's Gosfilmofond. However Elliott can be seen visiting Charlie Chaplin's studios in 1918 and cavorting with him and her entourage before Chaplin's cameras. Her visit to Chaplin survives and usually ends up in omnibus videos on Chaplin.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Elliott returned to Europe and volunteered both her income and her time to the cause of Belgian relief, for which she received the Order of the Crown (Belgium)
Order of the Crown (Belgium)
The Order of the Crown is an Order of Belgium which was created on 15 October 1897 by King Leopold II in his capacity as ruler of the Congo Free State. The order was first intended to recognize heroic deeds and distinguished service achieved from service in the Congo Free State - many of which acts...
. She was dating tennis star Tony Wilding
Tony Wilding
Anthony "Tony" Frederick Wilding was a champion tennis player from Christchurch, New Zealand and a soldier killed in action during World War I near Neuve-Chapelle, Pas-de-Calais, France....
and they may have planned to marry, but he died in 1915 in France during World War 1.
Elliott's last stage appearance was in 1920 in Trimmed in Scarlett, aged 52. She then retired from acting, announcing that she "wished to grow middle-aged gracefully". Successful in business and investment, Elliott had homes in America and in Europe. She died in Cannes, France, a wealthy woman, at the age of 72. She was the subject of a biography titled "My Aunt Maxine: The Story of Maxine Elliot" c.1964 written by her niece Diana Forbes-Robertson.
External links
- Maxine Elliott at Internet Broadway Database
- Maxine Elliott photo gallery NYP Library
- Maxine Elliott portrait gallery University of Washington; Sayre collection
- Maxine Elliott, findagrave.com
- Maxine Elliott, 1921 passport photo