Nancy Price | |
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Nancy Price |
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Born | Lilian Nancy Bache Price 3 February 1880 Kinver, Staffordshire, England |
Died | 31 March 1970 Worthing, England |
(aged 90)
Spouse | Charles Maude |
Nancy Price, CBE (3 February 1880 – 31 March 1970), was an English actress on stage and screen, authoress and theatre director. Her acting career began in a repertory theatre company before progressing to the London stage, silent films, talkies and finally television. In addition to appearing on stage she became involved in theatre production and was a founder of the People's Theatre. Whilst it is tempting to separate her career into three distinct areas, stage, screen and writing it is worth noting that apart from her early career where she was just acting on stage and her late career where she was just writing, for a period of forty years she was engaged in all three.
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Christened Lilian Nancy Bache Price in Kinver, Staffordshire, England, in 1887, Nancy was the daughter of William Henry Price (a retired farmer) and Sarah Mannix. Her mother was the granddaughter of Sir Henry Mannix. After schooling in her home village and then in nearby Malvern Wells she decided at an early age to become an actress. She married the actor Charles Maude on 17 May 1907, and they were together until his death in 1943. Their daughter Joan Maude also went on to become an actress. Soon after her daughter was born she made the village of Findon in West Sussex her home, living in a cottage called 'Arcana' in Heather Lane on the Downs.[1] Findon remained her home until her death in 1970.
Nancy joined F. R. Benson's theatre company whilst still at school. The company specialised in Shakespeare's plays and toured extensively in the provinces. Her first big break came when she caught the attention of Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who cast her as Calypso in Stephen Phillips's production of Ulysses at Her Majesty's Theatre, London in 1902, a role in which she enjoyed great success.[2] The part of Hilda Gunning was written for her by A. W. Pinero in Letty (1904)[3], a role in which the theatre critic J. T. Grein commented: "In Letty, while others enhanced their fame, Miss Nancy Price, in the part of Hilda, the shop-girl, made her name. If we read the character aright, Miss Price realised it well-nigh to perfection".[4] In 1909 she appeared as Mrs. D'Aquila in George Dance's production of The Whip at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. She joined Edith Craig's Pioneer Players at the Kingsway Theatre in 1911 for a performance of Christopher St. John's The First Actress. In March 1912 she appeared as India in Sir Edward Elgar's Imperial Masque The Crown of India at the London Coliseum.
Together with the Dutch-born theatre impresario J. T. Grein, Nancy Price founded the People's National Theatre in 1930. Their first production was The Man from Blankleys by F. Anstey at the Fortune Theatre.[5] When Grein left the company Nancy became its honorary director, and in 1932 a permanent home was found at the Little Theatre in the Adelphi with Nancy as manageress. The enterprise came to an end with the destruction of the theatre in 1941.[6] During this period Nancy also established the English School Theatre Movement which toured productions of Shakespeare plays to working class children.[7]
In the 1950 King's Birthday Honours List Nancy was awarded a CBE for services to the stage.[8] In the same year she gave her final stage performance as Martha Blanchard in Eden Phillpotts' The Orange Orchard at the New Lindsey Theatre.[9]
Season | Play Title | Theatre | Role | Notes |
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1900 | Pericles | Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon | Diana | |
1900 | Macbeth | Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon | Hecate | |
1901–02 | Ulysses | Her Majesty's Theatre, London | Calypso | |
1902–03 | The Eternal City | His Majesty's Theatre, London | Princess Bellini | Dramatisation of Hall Caine's novel of the same name |
1903 | Em'ly | Adelphi Theatre, London | Rosa Dartle | |
1903 | A Snug Little Kingdom | Royalty Theatre, London | Sister Hope | |
1903 | The Two Mr. Wetherbys | Imperial Theatre, London | Constantia | Stage Society production of St. John Hankin's first play |
1903–04 | Letty | Duke of York's Theatre, London | Hilda Gunning | |
1908–09 | A Modern Aspasia | The Aldwych Theatre, London | Muriel Meredith | Play by Hamilton Fyfe, cast included her husband Charles Maude |
1909 | One of the Best | The Aldwych Theatre, London | Esther Coventry | Play by Seymour Hicks |
1909 | The Fountain | The Aldwych Theatre, London | Dinah Kippin | Play by George Calderon |
1909–10 | The Whip | Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London | Mrs. D'Aquila | |
1910–11 | Vision Of Delight | His Majesty's Theatre, London | Play written by Ben Jonson | |
1911 | The First Actress | The Kingsway Theatre, London | Margaret Hughes | |
1911 | The Merchant of Venice | Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon | Portia | |
1915–16 | Richard III | His Majesty's Theatre, London | ||
1920–21 | Chu Chin Chow | Prince's Theatre, Bristol | ||
1923 | Outward Bound | Everyman Theatre, London | Play by Sutton Vane | |
1923–24 | Ambush | Garrick Theatre, London | ||
1925 | Enrico IV (Henry IV) | |||
1925 | And That's the Truth (If You Think it is) | Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, London | Signora Frola | Based on play Così è (se vi pare) by Luigi Pirandello |
1925 | Gloriana | Little Theatre in the Adelphi, London | Princess Elizabeth | Appearing alongside Sir John Gielgud |
1929–30 | Belle: or What's the Bother? | Prince Of Wales Theatre, London | ||
1931 | The Silver Box | Fortune Theatre, London | Mrs. Jones | Play written by John Galsworthy |
1934 | Nurse Cavell | Vaudeville Theatre, London | Edith Cavell | |
1941–42 | Whiteoaks | Theatre Royal, Bath | ||
1943 | Vintage Wine | Grand Theatre, Blackpool | Madame Popinot | |
1943–44 | John Gabriel Borkman | The Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool | ||
1944–45 | Lisa | The Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool | ||
1950 | The Orange Orchard | New Lindsey Theatre, London | Martha Blanchard |
Having established herself as a stage actress in London's West End, Nancy's first film role was in the black and white, silent film The Lyons Mail. In the next decade she appeared in a further eight silent films before her first 'talkie', The American Prisoner, which was recorded in mono sound in 1929. The last silent film in which she appeared The Price of Divorce was adapted by producer Oswald Mitchell to incorporate sound and released under the name Such is the Law.
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1938 | Will Shakespeare | Queen Victoria | BBC production |
1950 | The Silver Box | BBC production based on a play by John Galsworthy | |
1950 | Thérèse Raquin | Madame Raquin | BBC production based on novel Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola |
1950 | The Orange Orchard | Martha Blanchard | BBC production |
1951 | Whiteoaks | Grandma Adeline Whiteoak | BBC production |