Rudge Sisters
Encyclopedia
The Rudge sisters were British actresses and dancers from Birmingham
.
The sisters were actually first cousins. Their mothers were all sisters. The Rudge Sisters were:
The sisters were primarily dancers but later developed their singing talents, working in pantomime
, Victorian burlesque, and later Edwardian musical comedy
, often at the Gaiety Theatre
and Daly's Theatre
in London in the 1880s and 90s.
Letty Lind became a famous skirt dancer and musical comedy star. Millie Hylton worked in the theatre and the music halls, eventually making a career in variety as a male impersonator and was the mother of actress Millie Sim (b.1895). She might or might not have been married at one time to the agent, Hugh Didcott. Adelaide Astor, a West End actress, and husband George Grossmith, Jr. had three children, Ena Sylvia Victoria (1896–1944), who became a stage and film actress; George (1906-c.2000), who became a theatrical manager; and Rosa Mary (1907–1988). Lydia Flopp appeared in pantomimes. Fanny Dango worked in theatre and then had a long and successful career in Australia. While touring Australia, she made an astute property purchase, married a wealthy sheep farmer, and settled there.
The Rudge sisters were cousins of music hall
artist, Millie Lindon (1869–1940), who was married at one time to T. E. Dunville (1868–1924), but they divorced long before his sad and dramatic death.
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
.
The sisters were actually first cousins. Their mothers were all sisters. The Rudge Sisters were:
- Letitia Elizabeth Rudge - Letty LindLetty LindLetitia Elizabeth Rudge, better known as Letty Lind , was an English actress, dancer and acrobat, best known for her work in burlesque at the Gaiety Theatre, and in musical theatre at Daly's Theatre, in London....
(1861–1923), - Sarah Rudge - Millie Hylton (1870–1920),
- Elizabeth Rudge - Adelaide Astor (1873–1951, who married George Grossmith, Jr.George Grossmith, Jr.George Grossmith, Jr. was a British actor, theatre producer and manager, director, playwright and songwriter, best remembered for his work in and with Edwardian musical comedies...
in 1895), - Lydia Rudge - Lydia Flopp (1877–1963)
- Fanny Rudge - Fanny Dango (1878–1972).
The sisters were primarily dancers but later developed their singing talents, working in pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — 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...
, Victorian burlesque, and later Edwardian musical comedy
Edwardian Musical Comedy
Edwardian musical comedies were British musical theatre shows from the period between the early 1890s, when the Gilbert and Sullivan operas' dominance had ended, until the rise of the American musicals by Jerome Kern, Rodgers and Hart, George Gershwin and Cole Porter following World War I.Between...
, often at the Gaiety Theatre
Gaiety Theatre, London
The Gaiety Theatre, London was a West End theatre in London, located on Aldwych at the eastern end of the Strand. The theatre was established as the Strand Musick Hall , in 1864 on the former site of the Lyceum Theatre. It was rebuilt several times, but closed from the beginning of World War II...
and Daly's Theatre
Daly's Theatre
Daly's Theatre was a theatre in the City of Westminster. It was located at 2 Cranbourn Street, just off Leicester Square. It opened on 27 June 1893, and was demolished in 1937.-Early years:...
in London in the 1880s and 90s.
Letty Lind became a famous skirt dancer and musical comedy star. Millie Hylton worked in the theatre and the music halls, eventually making a career in variety as a male impersonator and was the mother of actress Millie Sim (b.1895). She might or might not have been married at one time to the agent, Hugh Didcott. Adelaide Astor, a West End actress, and husband George Grossmith, Jr. had three children, Ena Sylvia Victoria (1896–1944), who became a stage and film actress; George (1906-c.2000), who became a theatrical manager; and Rosa Mary (1907–1988). Lydia Flopp appeared in pantomimes. Fanny Dango worked in theatre and then had a long and successful career in Australia. While touring Australia, she made an astute property purchase, married a wealthy sheep farmer, and settled there.
The Rudge sisters were cousins of music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
artist, Millie Lindon (1869–1940), who was married at one time to T. E. Dunville (1868–1924), but they divorced long before his sad and dramatic death.