Clara Morris
Encyclopedia
Clara Morris (her birth date is sometimes given as 1846/48) was an American
actress.
, where at the Academy of Music she became a member of the ballet and afterward leading actress.
She went to New York
in 1870 as a member of Daly's
company. In 1872, she made a sensation in L'Article 47. Other successes followed and she became known as an actress distinguished for spontaneity and naturalness. She was married to F. C. Harriott in 1874.
For some years after 1885, she devoted herself mainly to literary work, writing: Little Jim Crow, and Other Stories of Children (1899); A Silent Singer (1899); Life on the Stage: My Personal Experiences and Recollections (1901); A Pasteboard Crown (1902); Stage Confidences, (1902); The Trouble Woman, (1904), fiction; The Life of a Star, (1906); Left in Charge, (1907); New East Lynne, (1908); A Strange Surprise, (1910); Dressing Room Receptions, (1911).
In her book Life on the Stage: My Personal Experiences and Recollections she recounts her meeting with John Wilkes Booth
the assassin
of Abraham Lincoln
.
Complete blindness overtook her in 1910, and her old age was embittered by poverty. The house in which she had lived for 37 years was sold in 1914, and Miss Morris moved to Whitestone, Long Island
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress.
Biography
Born in Toronto, Canada, her real name was Morrison. She was reared in Cleveland, OhioCleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, where at the Academy of Music she became a member of the ballet and afterward leading actress.
She went to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1870 as a member of Daly's
Augustin Daly
John Augustin Daly was an American theatrical manager and playwright active in both the US and UK.-Biography:Daly was born in Plymouth, North Carolina and educated at Norfolk, Va...
company. In 1872, she made a sensation in L'Article 47. Other successes followed and she became known as an actress distinguished for spontaneity and naturalness. She was married to F. C. Harriott in 1874.
For some years after 1885, she devoted herself mainly to literary work, writing: Little Jim Crow, and Other Stories of Children (1899); A Silent Singer (1899); Life on the Stage: My Personal Experiences and Recollections (1901); A Pasteboard Crown (1902); Stage Confidences, (1902); The Trouble Woman, (1904), fiction; The Life of a Star, (1906); Left in Charge, (1907); New East Lynne, (1908); A Strange Surprise, (1910); Dressing Room Receptions, (1911).
In her book Life on the Stage: My Personal Experiences and Recollections she recounts her meeting with John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth was an American stage actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. Booth was a member of the prominent 19th century Booth theatrical family from Maryland and, by the 1860s, was a well-known actor...
the assassin
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
.
Complete blindness overtook her in 1910, and her old age was embittered by poverty. The house in which she had lived for 37 years was sold in 1914, and Miss Morris moved to Whitestone, Long Island
External links
- Clara Morris biography at the Joseph Haworth site.
- 19th Century Actor Autobiographies Ms. Morris recounts her meeting with John Wilkes Booth from Life on the Stage.
- Clara Morris Papers. Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.