Jeffreys Lewis (abt. 1852–1926) was a British-born American actress whose career lasted long after her popularity as a leading lady had faded.
| Mary Jeffreys Lewis | |
|---|---|
NYPL Digital Collection |
|
| Born | October 25, 1852 London, England, U.K. |
| Died | April 26, 1926 (aged 72) New York City New York, U.S.A. |
| Occupation | Stage Actress |
Contents |
Mary Jeffreys Lewis was born in London, England on the 25th of October, the daughter of Irish parents of Welsh descent.[1][2][3] Some sources give her birth year as 1855 or later, though if correct, early US census indicate she was most likely born around 1852.[1] Lewis attending elocution classes at the Bikrbeck Institute [4](now Birkbeck, University of London) and made her first stage appearance at the Theatre Royal in Edinburgh, Scotland.[3] She was brought to America in 1873, probably with her mother, May, and sisters, Catherine and Constance, with veteran British actor Thomas C. King to perform on the New York stage.[2] Her Broadway debut came on the 11th of September, 1873, at the New Lyceum Theatre on 14th Street and 6th Ave., playing Esmeralda opposite King's Quasimodo in Notre Dame, a failed dramatic adaption of Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame.[2][5]
Lewis’ work in Notre Dame caught the eye of John Lester Wallack and before year’s end she was playing Miss Grantham in Samuel Foote’s comedy The Liar at Wallack's Theatre on Broom Street and Broadway.[2][6] Lewis stayed with Wallack for a season appearing in The Rivals by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Central Park, by John Lester Wallack, The Veteran, The School by T. W. Robertson, The Shaughraun by Dion Boucicault and Rafael, an adaptation of the French play Les Filles de Marbres by Théodore Barrière.[2][7][8]
The following few seasons were spent with Augustine Daly’s company and as a stock player at the Broadway Theatre on Broadway and 30th Street before touring the West with Daly's company and finding success in California. In the mid 1880s she embarked on a tour of Australia and possibly New Zealand for a seasons or two. Upon her return she gained popularity appearing in big cities and small as Beatrice in La Belle Russe an adaptation of a story by May Agnes Fleming,[9] Martha Moulton in Forget-Me-Not by Herman Merivale,[10] the Countess Clothilde in Clothilde, an adaption of a play by Victorien Sardou,[11] the Countess Zieka in Diplomacy by Victorien Sardou and as Muriel in The Sporting Duchess By Sir Augustus Harris, Cecil Raleigh and Henry Hamilton.[2][12]
Jeffreys Lewis’ career began to wane in the late 1880s as she continued to play roles that audiences deemed inappropriate for someone approaching middle age. Eventually though she adjusted and became a character actress playing supporting roles, a move that extended her career well into the sunset of her years.[2]
Jeffreys Lewis married actor John Adolf Maitland (aka A. J. Maitland) in San Francisco on August 14, 1878.[13] This marriage ended in divorce nine years later amid charges of infidelity and cruelty. On March 13, 1887 she married in Oakland, California, actor Harry Mainhall.[14][15] Their son, Harry Mainhall Jr., would go on to be a Hollywood actor and writer active in the early years of the silent era.[16] Harry Mainhall Sr. died in Los Angeles on November 7, 1902 after battling tuberculosis.[16][17]
Mary Jeffreys Lewis died on the 28th of April, 1926 in New York City. Her last appearance on stage was in October of the previous year playing Mrs. Schenck in Crane Wilbur's play, Easy Terms at New York's National Theater. She was survived by her son, who would follow her in death five years later.[3][16] Jeffreys Lewis was interned at the Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York.