The Rudge Sisters were English actresses and dancers from Birmingham. Their father, Henry Rudge, was a brass founder and chandelier maker. Their mother, Elizabeth, had a brief acting career in the Birmingham area. They also had two brothers who became brass founders.[1] The Rudge sisters were:
- Letitia Elizabeth Rudge – Letty Lind (1861–1923)
- Sarah Rudge – Millie Hylton (1870–1920)
- Elizabeth Rudge – Adelaide Astor (1873–1951; married George Grossmith Jr. in 1895)
- Lydia Rudge – Lydia Flopp (1877–1963)
- Fanny Rudge – Fanny Dango (1878–1972; married Samuel Peter Mackay in 1911)
The sisters were primarily dancers, but later developed their singing talents, working variously in pantomime; variety and music hall; Victorian burlesque, often at the Gaiety Theatre, Alexandra Theatre and Daly's Theatre, London, in the 1880s and 90s; and Edwardian musical comedy.[2]
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). Adelaide Astor, a West End actress, and her 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).[3] Lydia Flopp appeared in pantomime. Fanny Dango worked in theatre in London and then had a long and successful career in Australia. While touring Australia, she made an astute property purchase, married a wealthy sheep farmer[4] and settled there.[2][5]
Notes
edit- ^ Cruickshank, p. 5
- ^ a b Cruickshank, Graeme. "The Rudge Family: The Lives and Work of Letty Lind and her sisters", National Operatic and Dramatic Association newsletter, January 2005
- ^ Gänzl, Kurt. "Grossmith, George (1874-1935)" in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press (2004) accessed 21 Oct 2007
- ^ "Personal", The Argus, 1 December 1910, p. 7, accessed 16 November 2020
- ^ Buckle, Liz. "Stories found within the major shipping list project: 1852–1923", Public Record Office, Victoria, Australia, 6 December 2012.
References
edit- Cruickshank, Graeme. "The Life and Loves of Letty Lind" in The Gaiety, Issue 22, Summer 2007
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