Rudge Sisters

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The Rudge Sisters were English actresses and dancers from Birmingham. Their father, Henry Rudge, was a brass founder and chandelier maker. Their mother, Elizabeth, had a brief acting career in the Birmingham area. They also had two brothers who became brass founders. [1] The Rudge sisters were:

Letty-lind-1894.jpg
Letty Lind
Millie-hylton.jpg
Millie Hilton
Adelaide-astor.jpg
Adelaide Astor
Lydia-rudge.jpg
Lydia Flopp
Fanny-dango.jpg
Fanny Dango

The sisters were primarily dancers, but later developed their singing talents, working variously in pantomime; variety and music hall; Victorian burlesque, often at the Gaiety Theatre, Alexandra Theatre and Daly's Theatre, London, in the 1880s and 90s; and Edwardian musical comedy. [2]

Letty Lind became a famous skirt dancer and musical comedy star. Millie Hylton worked in the theatre and the music halls, eventually making a career in variety as a male impersonator and was the mother of actress Millie Sim (b. 1895). Adelaide Astor, a West End actress, and her husband George Grossmith Jr. had three children, Ena Sylvia Victoria (1896–1944), who became a stage and film actress; George (1906–c.2000), who became a theatrical manager; and Rosa Mary (1907–1988). [3] Lydia Flopp appeared in pantomime. Fanny Dango worked in theatre in London and then had a long and successful career in Australia. While touring Australia, she made an astute property purchase, married a wealthy sheep farmer [4] and settled there. [2] [5]

Notes

  1. ↑ Cruickshank, p. 5
  2. 1 2 Cruickshank, Graeme. "The Rudge Family: The Lives and Work of Letty Lind and her sisters", National Operatic and Dramatic Association newsletter, January 2005
  3. ↑ Gänzl, Kurt. "Grossmith, George (1874-1935)" in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press (2004) accessed 21 Oct 2007
  4. ↑ "Personal", The Argus , 1 December 1910, p. 7, accessed 16 November 2020
  5. ↑ Buckle, Liz. "Stories found within the major shipping list project: 1852–1923", Public Record Office, Victoria, Australia, 6 December 2012.

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