Edmund Payne
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Edmund Payne (1865 – 1 July 1914), was an actor, comedian, singer and dramatist best known for his comic appearances in Edwardian Musical Comedy.
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[edit] Life and career
Edmund James "Teddy" Payne was born in Hackney, England. He made his professional stage debut as Friday in Robinson Crusoe at Market Harborough, in 1880. He performed in stock, toured, and joined the Milton—Rays company.
Payne first appeared in London at the Gaiety Theatre as Mephistopheles in a revival of Faust up to date. Most of Payne's subsequent career was spent at the Gaiety. He enjoyed much success for his comic turn as Shrimp, the Call Boy, in In Town. He followed this with a role in Don Juan (1893) and gave a popular performance as Mr. Miggles in The Shop Girl (1894) that widened his reputation. He followed these with roles in The Circus Girl (1896) and A Runaway Girl (1898). Payne always rehearsed in a pair of velvet shoes and rode to and from the Gaiety on a bicycle. He was popular among colleagues as well as the public.[1]
Payne created roles in a string of musical comedy hits in the early years of the new century, including Tommy Bang in The Messenger Boy (1900), Sammy Gigg in The Toreador (1902), Meakin in The Orchid (1903), Mr. Girdle in The Spring Chicken (1905), Tippin in The New Aladdin (1906), Max Moddelkopf in The Girls of Gottenberg (1907), Timothy Gibbs in Our Miss Gibbs (1909), Albert Umbles in Peggy (1911), and Floot in his last show at the Gaiety, The Sunshine Girl (1912), in which he appeared until 1913. He was to have had a role in The Girl From Utah, but he fell ill and died before the show premiered.[2]
Payne wrote to the editor of Strand Magazine on 30 May 1904, "Dear Sir / My height is five feet three & a half inches in my half hose".[3] His diminutive stature and his elastic facial expressions, including his "pop" eyes, gained him wide fame. He was an accomplished comic singer and dancer, and a diligent actor. He also used a lisp to good effect: "It gave a perfect character to the lovable little men he always impersonated....[1]
In 1909, Payne made a film entitled A Gaiety Duet, in which he starred with his co-writer, George Grossmith, Jr. Payne's brother was the actor Fred Payne.
Payne died in London at the age of 49.
