Sarah Siddons
Sarah Siddons (born July 5, 1755 in Brecon , Wales as Sarah Kemble , † June 8, 1831 in London ) was one of the greatest tragic actresses of her time in the English theater.
Life
Sarah Siddons grew up as one of twelve children in a family of traveling actors. In 1773, at the age of 18, she married the actor William Siddons . Her brother John Philip Kemble was a much admired tragedy, her brother Stephen Kemble was best known for his role as Falstaff and her niece Fanny Kemble also made a career as an actress.
Mrs. Siddons' first season in London, playing in Garrick's Company in the winter of 1775/76 , was a failure. By no means discouraged, she continued to pursue her goal, but in the following years she appeared on stages all over England before she accepted an engagement again in London in 1782 at the Theater Royal Drury Lane . In the title role in Garrick's adaptation of Thomas Southerne's play The Fatal Marriage , she was the sensation of the season after a short time.
Sarah Siddons avoided acting in comedies and concentrated entirely on the dramatic subject. She had her greatest appearances as Lady Macbeth . She also chose this piece for her farewell performance in 1812, the performance of which was stopped immediately after her last appearance on the stage.
In her leisure hours, the actress devoted herself to sculpture and produced several works of remarkable quality, e.g. B. the bust of the North American President John Adams .
literature
- Jan Seewald: Theatrical Sculpture - sculpted portraits of famous English actors (1750–1850), in particular David Garrick and Sarah Siddons . Herbert Utz Verlag, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-8316-0671-9
- Bamber Gascoigne: Encyclopedia of Britain . BCA, London / New York / Sydney / Toronto 1993, ISBN 0-333-54764-0 , p. 588.
- Siddons, Sarah . In: Encyclopædia Britannica . 11th edition. tape 25 : Shuválov - Subliminal Self . London 1911, p. 37 (English, full text [ Wikisource ]).
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Siddons, Sarah |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Kemble, Sarah (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British actress |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 5, 1755 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Brecon , Wales |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 8, 1831 |
| Place of death | London |