Frances McGrath

Last updated

Frances McGrath (born 1895or1896) [1] was an American actress.

Contents

Early years

McGrath first appeared on stage when she was 3+12 years old. Her parents were friends with some of the actors presenting The Country Editor, and the actors asked that McGrath be allowed to play a child's role. By age 5, she played a dual role in East Lynne, and from age 6 to 10 she had a child's role in The Peddler. After that, she lived in a convent for four years. [1]

Career

When McGrath was 14, she performed with Henry Miller in For a Woman, after which she had the juvenile female lead in Getting a Polish with May Irwin. Following that, she joined a stock company in Union Hill, New Jersey, as its ingenue. In 1918, McGrath became the leading lady of the Auditorium Players in Baltimore. [1] She performed at the Grand Opera House in Paterson, the Gaiety Theater in Hoboken, the American Theatre in Philadelphia, and the Garrick Theatre in New York before she joined the Grand Opera House Players in Brooklyn, New York as their ingenue in 1915. [2]

By April 1921, McGrath headed the Frances McGrath Resident Players at the Lyceum Theatre in Paterson, New Jersey. [3] In May 1922, she returned to act with the Blaney Players at the Yorkville Theater in New York. The trade publication The Billboard described the public's response as having "the appearance of a small-sized tho friendly riot to get into the playhouse". [4] She went on to perform with the Fulton Players in Brooklyn. [5]

On Broadway, McGrath appeared in The Governor's Boss (1914), portrayed Florence Gordon in Two Strangers From Nowhere (1924), and portrayed Josephine Gilbert in Tired Business Man (1929). [6]

Personal life

McGrath was married to Forrest Orr, and they had a son, Forrest Orr Jr. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ridgewood, New Jersey</span> Village in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States

Ridgewood is a village in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Ridgewood is a suburban bedroom community of New York City, located approximately 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Midtown Manhattan. As of the 2020 United States census, the village's population was 25,979, an increase of 1,021 (+4.1%) from the 2010 census count of 24,958, which in turn reflected an increase of 22 (+0.1%) from 24,936 in the 2000 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florence Eldridge</span> American actress

Florence Eldridge was an American actress. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play in 1957 for her performance in Long Day's Journey into Night.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas W. Lamb</span> 20th-century Scottish-American architect (1871-1942)

Thomas White Lamb was a Scottish-born, American architect. He was one of the foremost designers of theaters and cinemas of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elisabeth Fraser</span> American actress

Elisabeth Fraser was an American actress, best known for playing brassy blondes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Dragonette</span> Popular American radio singer (1920s-1940s)

Jessica Valentina Dragonette was a singer who became popular on American radio and was active in the World War II effort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmund Law Rogers Jr.</span> American actor

Edmund Law Rogers, also known by the stage name Leslie Edmunds, was an American stage actor. He was also a founding father of the Kappa Sigma fraternity at the University of Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wesley Addy</span> American actor (1913–1996)

Robert Wesley Addy was an American actor of stage, television, and film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glen Rock–Main Line station</span> NJ Transit rail station

Glen Rock is one of two railroad stations operated by New Jersey Transit in the borough of Glen Rock, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. Located on the Main Line, the station is signed as Glen Rock–Main Line to differentiate it from the Glen Rock–Boro Hall station, which lies two blocks east on Rock Road on the Bergen County Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul McGrath (actor)</span> American actor (1904–1978)

Paul McGrath was an American film, television, Broadway, and Pittsburgh actor best known for his radio appearances in the 1940s and 1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joanna Roos</span> American actress and playwright

Joanna Roos was an American Broadway, radio, and television actress and a playwright. She was born in Brooklyn in 1901 and attended Syracuse University as well as Yvette Guilbert's School in New York and Paris.

Brewster's Millions is a play written by Winchell Smith and Byron Ongley, based on the 1902 novel of the same name by George Barr McCutcheon. Producers Frederic Thompson and Elmer "Skip" Dundy staged it on Broadway in 1906. The play is about a young man who must spend a million dollars that he has inherited in order to inherit many millions more.

Donald Richards was an American singer and actor. He is best known in his short career for having created the role of Woody Mahoney in Finian's Rainbow.

Margaret Santry was an American journalist and radio host.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Yarnell</span> American film, television, theatre actor and singer (1935–1973)

Bruce Patane Altomari Yarnell was an American film, television, theatre actor and singer. He was known for playing the role of Deputy Marshal Chalk Breeson in the final season of the American western television series Outlaws. As a baritone, he performed in musicals such as Annie Get Your Gun, Bye Bye Birdie, Carousel, and Oklahoma!.

Vivienne Baber was an actress in the United States. She had a starring role in the 1932 film The Black King.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glen Rock (boulder)</span> Large boulder in New Jersey

The Glen Rock is a 570-ton boulder located in Glen Rock, New Jersey, United States. The boulder, which is the namesake of the town in which it is located, is the largest glacial erratic found atop Triassic bedrock in the state of New Jersey. The exact origin of the rock is uncertain, though studies alternatively place its origin in New York State's Hudson Highlands and the New Jersey Highlands. The Glen Rock, which is composed of gneiss, is located in the center of a former glacial lake.

Muriel Kirkland was an American actress.

Ethel Barrymore Colt was an American actress and producer and a soprano who sang in more than 100 concerts in the United States, Canada, and South America. She was a member of the ninth generation of the Barrymore acting family. Her obituary in The Washington Post described her as "a versatile and talented singer, actress and producer, playing dramatic roles on Broadway and in summer stock and singing in grand opera, operetta, musical comedy and on the concert stage."

Patricia Peardon was an American actress who originated the title role in the Broadway play Junior Miss. She later became a sculptor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Una Fleming</span> American dancer

Marian Una Strain FlemingAdams, known on stage as Una Fleming, was an American dancer and actress on Broadway.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Charming Frances McGrath Heads Auditorium Players". The Evening Sun. Maryland, Baltimore. January 12, 1918. p. 3. Retrieved December 14, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Grand Opera House". The Chat. New York, Brooklyn. March 20, 1915. p. 19. Retrieved December 14, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Theatres". Ridgewood Herald-News. New Jersey, Ridgewood. April 15, 1921. p. 9. Retrieved December 14, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 "Spontaneous Welcome for Frances McGrath" (PDF). The Billboard. June 3, 1922. p. 24. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  5. "Frances McGrath With 'T. B. M.'". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. May 10, 1929. p. 42. Retrieved December 14, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Frances McGrath". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2021.