Meggie Albanesi
Meggie Albanesi | |
|---|---|
 Meggie Albanesi in 1922 | |
| Born | Margherita Cecilia Brigida Lucia Maria Albanesi 8 October 1899 London, England |
| Died | 9 December 1923 (aged 24) Broadstairs, Kent, England |
| Alma mater | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1919–1923 |
| Relatives | Carlo Albanesi (father) Effie Adelaide Rowlands (mother) |
Margherita Cecilia Brigida Lucia Maria Albanesi (8 October 1899—9 December 1923) was a British stage and film actress.
Life and career[edit]
She was born in London on 8 October 1899. Her father was Italian-born Carlo Albanesi (1856-1926), a pianist and teacher at the Royal Academy of Music, while her mother was Effie Adelaide Rowlands (1859-1936), a writer who published over 250 romance novels and short stories.[1]
Albanesi attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art where she was awarded the Bancroft Medal.[2] She enjoyed a short but successful theatre career, appearing in plays such as John Galsworthy's The First and the Last, opposite Owen Nares, and The School for Scandal and Mr. Todd's Experiment. She was soon being hailed by critics as one of the brightest prospects in British acting.[3]
In 1920 she appeared as Jill in Galsworthy's play The Skin Game, and played the same role in the 1921 film of the play. In 1921 Albanesi starred as Sydney Fairfield in Clemence Dane's first and most famous play, A Bill of Divorcement, and in 1922 played Mabel Dancy in Galsworthy's play Loyalties which ran for nearly a year at the St Martin's Theatre. Albanesi appeared in six films[4] between 1919 and 1922 including The Romance of Old Bill, Darby and Joan and Mr. Wu.[1]
Death[edit]
Albanesi died at the age of 24 in Broadstairs, Kent, on 9 December 1923, after emergency abdominal surgery [5] caused by intestinal obstruction due to inflammatory adhesions. This was allegedly a consequence of an illegal abortion.[6][7] She was buried in St Pancras and Islington Cemetery in north London.[8]
Albanesi had a relationship with the theatre and film producer Basil Dean who continued to be obsessed with her after her death.[9] Dean was first attracted to his wife the actress Victoria Hopper because of her physical resemblance to Albanesi and cast her in a number of his productions. His final film as a director 21 Days was based on a play, The First and the Last on which he had worked with Albanesi.[10]
Dean commissioned Eric Gill to create a memorial plaque to Albanesi, which can be seen in the foyer of the St Martin's Theatre, West Street, London.[11] Her friend Noël Coward dedicated the first published text of his play The Rat Trap to the "dear memory of Meggie Albanesi" in 1924.[1]
Filmography[edit]
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | The Romance of Old Bill | Waitress | |
| Mr. Wu | Nang Ping | ||
| 1920 | Darby and Joan | Elin Garry | |
| The Great Day | Lillian Leeson | ||
| 1921 | The Skin Game | Jill Hillcrist | |
| 1922 | The Surrounded House | Mary Lixton |
Theatre credits[edit]
Theatre[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1918-19 | Henry of Naverre | Grand Theatre, Southampton | ||
| 1920-21 | The Skin Game | Jill | St Martin's Theatre, London | |
| 1921-22 | A Bill of Divorcement | Sydney Fairfield | St Martin's Theatre, London | |
| 1922-23 | East of Suez | Daisy | His Majesty's Theatre, London | |
| The Lilies of the Field | Ambassadors Theatre, London | |||
| Loyalties | Mabel Dancy | St Martin's Theatre, London |
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Dorney, Kate (2018). "Albanesi, Margherita Cecilia Brigida Lucia Maria [Meggie] (1899–1923), actress". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. doi:10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.62700.
- ^ Meggie Albanesi (1928). London Daily Chronicle, 2nd April 1928, p 4.
- ^ Chambers p. 15
- ^ "Albanesi, Margherita". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
- ^ Meggie Albanesi (1928). By Her Mother (Effie Adelaide Albanesi) . London: Hodder & Stoughton.
- ^ "Obituary: Victoria Hopper". The Telegraph. 5 March 2007. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
- ^ Hoare, Philip. "Carleton, Billie (1896–1918)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
- ^ Scott Wilson (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of Over 14000 Famous Persons, Third edition. McFarland & Company, Jefferson, North Carolina.
- ^ Sweet p. 117
- ^ Sweet pp. 142–43.
- ^ 'Remember Meggie Albanesi', London Walking Tours
Bibliography[edit]
- Chambers, Colin (2002). Continuum Companion to Twentieth Century Theatre. Continuum. ISBN 978-1847140012.
- Sweet, Matthew (2006). Shepperton Babylon: The Lost Worlds of British Cinema. Faber & Faber. ISBN 978-0571212989.
External links[edit]
- Gray, Frances (2011). "Meggie Albanesi: A Life in the Theatre". The Society for Theatre Research.
- Meggie Albanesi at IMDb
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