Elizabeth Farren

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Elizabeth Farren by Thomas Lawrence (before 1791)

Elizabeth Farren, Countess of Derby (born around 1759 in Cork ; † April 23, 1829 , Lancashire ) was an Irish actress.

Life

Elizabeth "Eliza" Farren was the daughter of the Irish surgeon and pharmacist George Farren from Cork. Because of his drinking habits, he died young and his widow went back to her hometown of Liverpool . In order to support herself and her daughters, she worked as an actress. Elizabeth was on stage at a young age, the first time in 1774 with her mother and sisters in Wakefield , she played and sang Colombina . At the age of 15, she acted as Rosetta in Love in a Village . Her best-known role was Lady Townly in The Provoked Husband by Colley Cibber .

Through her manager in Liverpool she got an engagement in London under George Coleman. On June 9, 1777 she made her first appearance as Miss Hardcastle at the Theater Royal Haymarket . Your acting was perceived positively. She was cast as Maria in Citizen by Murphy and in Bon Ton by Garricks. Coleman then gave her the role of Rosina in his adaptation of The Barber of Seville by Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais , in which she also appeared in the aftermath .

Also under Coleman, she played Nancy Lovel in Suicide , for the first time on July 11, 1778. For the role, however, her physique was unsuitable, and she was the victim of the satire of Charles James Fox , who previously adored her. She was able to show her acting talent again as Lady Townly in Provoked Husband and in Provoked Wife as Lady Fanciful. In September 1778 she first appeared at the Theater Royal Drury Lane as Charlotte Rusport in West Indian . On October 15, 1778, Farren acted as Lady Sash at the camp on Drury Lane. In the following years she appeared repeatedly in both theaters, but also toured the country occasionally and often played at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden .

In Coleman's Separate Maintenance on August 31, 1779, Farren played Mrs. Sullen . About a year later she appeared at the Haymarket Theater as Cecilia in Harriet Lee's Chapter of Accidents . In 1782, the most famous actress to date, Frances Abington, left the Drury Lane Theater, Farren was her successor and was hailed for her achievements. In the theaters of Drury Lane and Haymarket, she appeared regularly until her retirement.

Farren has had over 100 roles in her repertoire and she has also created a few characters herself. She acted as a heroine in many different comedies and dramas. Farren never had any serious competitors, except for Abington, with whom she was often compared. She had a delicate stature, her face was expressive and lively, she also had blue eyes and a cultivated voice.

The last time on stage she was on April 8, 1797, she played Lady Teazle in The School for Scandal . Your appearance met with great interest and a large audience. After Farren finished her performance, she burst into tears.

On May 1 of the same year she married Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby . His first wife had only died the previous March. With him she had two daughters and a son. Farren had barely had a significant relationship before her husband, the only known one being with John Palmer, although it was short-lived.

According to reports, Lord Derby treated his wife with great respect and introduced her into his circles so that she quickly made friends. She directed a number of amateur shows at the home of the Dukes of Richmond.

Farren died on April 23, 1829 in Lancashire, England . Her husband died in October 1834.

There are rumors of an alleged lesbian relationship with English sculptor Anne Seymour Damer. In 2004, the Irish-born Canadian writer Emma Donoghue published the novel Life Mask . The three main characters in her fourth novel are Anne Seymour Damer, Eliza Farren and her husband Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby.

literature

Web links

Commons : Elizabeth Farren  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Farren's biography on historyandotherthoughts (English)
  2. ↑ Life Maks on emmadonoghue.com (English)
personal data
SURNAME Farren, Elizabeth
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Smith-Stanley, Elizabeth, Countess of Derby (married name); Farren, Eliza (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Irish actress
DATE OF BIRTH around 1759
PLACE OF BIRTH Cork , Kingdom of Ireland
DATE OF DEATH April 23, 1829
Place of death Lancashire , England , UK