Mary Ann Yates
Mary Ann Yates (* 1728 in Birmingham , † 1787 in London ) was a British actress and dancer .
Life
Mary Ann Graham was the daughter of ship steward William Graham († 1779) and his wife Mary († 1777). She took the name Yates as the second wife of the comedian Richard Yates.
A first stage appearance in Dublin in 1753 in a production by Thomas Sheridan flopped. The director and press cast off Mary Ann's suitability for acting because of her obesity and weak voice. Nevertheless, Mrs. Yates succeeded in the same year in London at the Dury Lane Theater in the role of Virginia on the side of David Garrick . Further leading roles followed on Dury Lane, in Covent Garden, at the King's Theater, at the Royal Theater in Edinburgh and other stages. Mrs. Yates played mostly tragic roles. In a few years she managed to become the leading tragic actress in English theater before Sarah Siddons .
In 1775 she appeared as Medea in Richard's Glover tragedy of the same name at the Drury Lane Theater. The artist Philip Loutherbourg designed the sets and costumes.
Mary Ann Yates was notorious for her eccentric appearances. In a note from the British library of 1773, the manager of Dury Lane Colman refuses to engage Mrs. Yates at any cost. Mary Ann Yates openly professed her bisexuality and presided over an association of lesbian women, the Anandrinic Society.
Numerous portraits of Mary Ann Yates by Francis Cotes, Joshua Reynolds, George Romney, Philip Loutherbourg, William Hogarth and others have survived.
literature
- Yates, Mary Ann . In: Encyclopædia Britannica . 11th edition. tape 28 : Vetch - Zymotic Diseases . London 1911, p. 908 (English, full text [ Wikisource ]).
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Yates, Mary Ann |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English actress and dancer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1728 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Birmingham |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1787 |
| Place of death | London |