The Photograph
Miss Ellen Terry
Miss (later Dame) Alice Ellen Terry, (1847 – 1928), known professionally as Ellen Terry, was an English actress who became the leading Shakespearean actress in Great Britain.
-- Ellen Terry - The Early Years
Born into a family of actors, Terry began performing as a child, acting in Shakespeare plays in London, and toured throughout the British provinces in her teens.
At 16 she married the 46-year-old artist George Frederic Watts, but they separated within a year. She soon returned to the stage, but began a relationship with the architect Edward William Godwin and retired from the stage for six years.
Ellen resumed acting in 1874, and was immediately acclaimed for her portrayal of roles in Shakespeare and other classics.
In 1878 she joined Sir Henry Irving's company as his leading lady, and for more than the next two decades she was considered the leading Shakespearean and comic actress in Great Britain.
Two of her most famous roles were Portia in 'The Merchant of Venice' and Beatrice in 'Much Ado About Nothing'. She and Irving also toured with great success in America.
-- Ellen Terry - The Later Years
In 1903 Terry took over management of London's Imperial Theatre, focusing on the plays of George Bernard Shaw and Henrik Ibsen. The venture was a financial failure, and Terry turned to touring and lecturing.
She continued to find success on stage until 1920, while also appearing in films from 1916 to 1922. Her career lasted nearly seven decades.
-- The Death of Ellen Terry
On the 21st. July 1928, Terry died of a cerebral haemorrhage at her home at Smallhythe Place, near Tenterden, Kent, aged 81. Her son Edward later recalled:
"Mother looked 30 years old ...
a young beautiful woman lay on
the bed, like Juliet on her bier".
Margaret Winser created a death mask. Terry was cremated at Golders Green, Middlesex.
Her ashes are kept in a silver chalice on the right side of the chancel of the actors' church, St Paul's, Covent Garden, London, where a memorial tablet was unveiled by Sir John Martin-Harvey.
-- Final Thoughts From Ellen Terry
"Only a great actor finds the difficulties
of the actor's art infinite."
"Wonderful women! Have you ever thought
how much we all, and women especially,
owe to Shakespeare for his vindication of
women in these fearless, high-spirited,
resolute and intelligent heroines?"
"Imagination! Imagination! I put it first years
ago, when I was asked what qualities I
thought necessary for success upon the
stage. And I am still of the same opinion.
Imagination, industry, and intelligence -
the three I's-are all indispensable to the
actor, but of these three the greatest is,
without any doubt, imagination."
"There is all the difference in the world
between departure from recognised rules
by one who has learned to obey them, and
neglect of them through want of training or
want of skill or want of understanding."
"Before you can be eccentric you
must know where the circle is."
"Not until we have learned to be useful
can we afford to do what we like."
"Applause is an instinctive, unconscious act
expressing the sympathy between actors
and audience. Just as our art demands more
instinct than intellect in its exercise, so we
demand of those who watch us an
apppreciation of the simple unconscious
kind which finds an outlet in clapping rather
than the cold intellectual approval which
would self-consciously think applause
derogatory. I have yet to meet the actor who
was sincere in saying that he disliked applause."
"Vary the pace. ... it is one of the
foundations of all good acting."
"Conceit is an insuperable
obstacle to all progress."
"Usefulness! It is not a fascinating word,
and the quality is not one of which the
aspiring spirit can dream o' nights, yet
on the stage it is the first thing to aim at."
"If it is the mark of the artist to love art
before everything, to renounce everything
for its sake, to think all the sweet human
things of life well lost if only he may attain
something, do some good, great work,
then I was never an artist."
"The tragedian will always be a limited
tragedian if he has not learned how to
laugh. The comedian who cannot weep
will never touch the highest levels of mirth."
"The picture of me is nearly finished, and I
think it is magnificent. The green and blue
of the dress is splendid, and the expression
as Lady Macbeth holds the crown over her
head is quite wonderful."
"No amount of skill on the part of the actress
can make up for the loss of youth."
"Eulogy is nice, but one does
not learn anything from it."