Eva Moore
Encyclopedia
Eva Moore was an English actress. Her career on stage and in film spanned six decades, and she was active in the women's suffrage
movement.
. In 1891 she married the actor Henry V. Esmond
(d. 1922). They had two children, Jack and Jill (the actress Jill Esmond
, first wife of Laurence Olivier
). Eva was the daughter of Edmund Henry Moore by his spouse Emily née Strachan. Her sister was the actress Decima Moore
.
Moore made her first stage appearance at London's Vaudeville Theatre
on 15 December 1887, as Varney in Proposals. She next joined Toole's
company and appeared at Toole's Theatre on 26 December of that year as the Spirit of Home in Dot. In 1892, she appeared as Minestra in The Mountebanks by W. S. Gilbert
and Alfred Cellier
. In 1894, she joined Charles Hawtrey and Lottie Venne
in F. C. Burnand's A Gay Widow. Other stage roles included Mabel Vaughn in The Wilderness (1901); Lady Ernestone in Esmond's My Lady Cirtue and Wilhelmina Marr in his Billy's Little Love Affair (both in 1903); and Kathie in Old Heidelberg (1902 and 1909) with George Alexander
. In 1907 she took the name part in Sweet Kitty Bellaire (1907); and she played Mrs. Errol in Little Lord Fauntleroy
and Mrs. Crowley in The Explorer in 1908, and the Hon. Mrs. Bayle in Best People and the Hon. Mrs. Rivers in The House Opposite in 1909.
comedy Eliza Comes to Stay, which opened at the Criterion Theatre
on 12 February 1913, transferring to the Vaudeville
, 6 July 1914. After World War I
broke out, she continued acting at the Vaudeville in the evenings but worked as a volunteer for the Women's Emergency Corps
, based at the Little Theatre
, during the day. In October 1920, she and Esmond toured Canada with Nigel Bruce
as their stage manager, who also played Montague Jordan in Eliza Comes to Stay, which re-opened at the Duke of York's Theatre
in London on 14 June 1923. Moore was active in the suffrage movement (as was her sister Decima), attending meetings and appearing in suffragist plays and films.
From 1920 to 1946, Moore made over two dozen films, beginning with The Law Divine (1920). Some of her best-received silent films were Flames of Passion
(1922),The Crimson Circle (1922), The Great Well (1924), Chu-Chin-Chow
(1925) and Motherland
(1927). Her most popular 'talkies' included Almost a Divorce (1931), The Old Dark House
(1932), Leave It to Smith
(1933), I Was a Spy
(1933), Jew Süss
(1934), A Cup of Kindness
(1934), Vintage Wine
(1935), The Divorce of Lady X
(1938), which starred her son-in-law Laurence Olivier
, A Son Is Born (1946) and Of Human Bondage
(1946).
Moore published her reminiscences under the title of Exits and Entrances. She died in Maidenhead, England, aged 85.
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
movement.
Early life and career
Moore was born and educated in BrightonBrighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
. In 1891 she married the actor Henry V. Esmond
Henry V. Esmond
Henry Vernon Esmond was an English actor and playwright.Born Jack Esmond he began his career as an actor in London in 1889 where he had several successes in comedies. He began writing plays, usually comedies, while in his early twenties...
(d. 1922). They had two children, Jack and Jill (the actress Jill Esmond
Jill Esmond
Jill Esmond was an English actress and first wife of Sir Laurence Olivier.-Early life:Esmond was born Jill Esmond Moore in London, the daughter of stage actors Henry V. Esmond and Eva Moore. While her parents toured with theatre companies, Esmond spent her childhood in boarding schools until she...
, first wife of Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
). Eva was the daughter of Edmund Henry Moore by his spouse Emily née Strachan. Her sister was the actress Decima Moore
Decima Moore
Lilian Decima, Lady Moore-Guggisberg, CBE , better known by her stage name Decima Moore, was an English singer and actress, known for her performances in soprano roles with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and in musical comedies. She was the youngest of ten siblings...
.
Moore made her first stage appearance at London's Vaudeville Theatre
Vaudeville Theatre
The Vaudeville Theatre is a West End theatre on The Strand in the City of Westminster. As the name suggests, the theatre held mostly vaudeville shows and musical revues in its early days. It opened in 1870 and was rebuilt twice, although each new building retained elements of the previous...
on 15 December 1887, as Varney in Proposals. She next joined Toole's
John Lawrence Toole
John Lawrence Toole was an English comic actor and theatrical producer. He was famous for his roles in farce and in serio-comic melodramas in a career that spanned more than four decades...
company and appeared at Toole's Theatre on 26 December of that year as the Spirit of Home in Dot. In 1892, she appeared as Minestra in The Mountebanks by W. S. Gilbert
W. S. Gilbert
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his fourteen comic operas produced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, of which the most famous include H.M.S...
and Alfred Cellier
Alfred Cellier
Alfred Cellier was an English composer, orchestrator and conductor.In addition to conducting and music directing the original productions of several of the most famous Gilbert and Sullivan works and writing the overtures to some of them, Cellier conducted at many theatres in London, New York and...
. In 1894, she joined Charles Hawtrey and Lottie Venne
Lottie Venne
Lottie Venne was a British comedienne, actress and singer of the Victorian and Edwardian eras, who enjoyed a theatre career spanning five decades. Venne began her stage career in musical burlesque before moving into farce and comedy. She appeared in several works by each of F. C. Burnand and W. S...
in F. C. Burnand's A Gay Widow. Other stage roles included Mabel Vaughn in The Wilderness (1901); Lady Ernestone in Esmond's My Lady Cirtue and Wilhelmina Marr in his Billy's Little Love Affair (both in 1903); and Kathie in Old Heidelberg (1902 and 1909) with George Alexander
George Alexander
George Alexander may refer to:*George Alexander , British actor*George Alexander , mayor of Los Angeles*George T. Alexander , US Army soldier*George W...
. In 1907 she took the name part in Sweet Kitty Bellaire (1907); and she played Mrs. Errol in Little Lord Fauntleroy
Little Lord Fauntleroy
Little Lord Fauntleroy is the first children's novel written by English playwright and author Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was originally published as a serial in the St. Nicholas Magazine between November 1885 and October 1886, then as a book by Scribner's in 1886...
and Mrs. Crowley in The Explorer in 1908, and the Hon. Mrs. Bayle in Best People and the Hon. Mrs. Rivers in The House Opposite in 1909.
Later years and films
Moore later managed the Henry V. EsmondHenry V. Esmond
Henry Vernon Esmond was an English actor and playwright.Born Jack Esmond he began his career as an actor in London in 1889 where he had several successes in comedies. He began writing plays, usually comedies, while in his early twenties...
comedy Eliza Comes to Stay, which opened at the Criterion Theatre
Criterion Theatre
The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has an official capacity of 588.-Building the theatre:...
on 12 February 1913, transferring to the Vaudeville
Vaudeville Theatre
The Vaudeville Theatre is a West End theatre on The Strand in the City of Westminster. As the name suggests, the theatre held mostly vaudeville shows and musical revues in its early days. It opened in 1870 and was rebuilt twice, although each new building retained elements of the previous...
, 6 July 1914. After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
broke out, she continued acting at the Vaudeville in the evenings but worked as a volunteer for the Women's Emergency Corps
Women's Emergency Corps
The Women's Emergency Corps was a service organisation founded in 1914 by Evelina Haverfield, Decima Moore, and the Women's Social and Political Union to contribute to the war effort of the United Kingdom in World War I. The Corps later evolved into the Women's Volunteer Reserve.-References:* * at...
, based at the Little Theatre
Little Theatre
The Little Theatre in Rochester, New York, commonly known as "The Little" is a movie theatre located on historic East Avenue in downtown Rochester, New York and a modest non-profit multiplex specializing in art film, including independent and foreign productions outside the United States.Founded in...
, during the day. In October 1920, she and Esmond toured Canada with Nigel Bruce
Nigel Bruce
William Nigel Ernle Bruce , best known as Nigel Bruce, was a British character actor on stage and screen. He was best known for his portrayal of Doctor Watson in a series of films and in the radio series The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes...
as their stage manager, who also played Montague Jordan in Eliza Comes to Stay, which re-opened at the Duke of York's Theatre
Duke of York's Theatre
The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End Theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre, until her death in 1935. It opened on 10 September 1892 as the Trafalgar Square Theatre, with Wedding...
in London on 14 June 1923. Moore was active in the suffrage movement (as was her sister Decima), attending meetings and appearing in suffragist plays and films.
From 1920 to 1946, Moore made over two dozen films, beginning with The Law Divine (1920). Some of her best-received silent films were Flames of Passion
Flames of Passion
Flames of Passion was a British silent film drama directed by Graham Cutts, starred Mae Marsh and C. Aubrey Smith, and is now considered a lost film....
(1922),The Crimson Circle (1922), The Great Well (1924), Chu-Chin-Chow
Chu-Chin-Chow (1925 film)
Chu-Chin-Chow is a 1925 British-German adventure film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Betty Blythe, Herbert Langley and Randle Ayrton....
(1925) and Motherland
Motherland (1927 film)
Motherland is a 1927 British silent war film directed by G.B. Samuelson and starring Rex Davis, Eva Moore and James Knight.-Cast:* Rex Davis - The Lonely Soldier* Eva Moore - Mrs. Edwards* James Knight - Private Tom Edwards...
(1927). Her most popular 'talkies' included Almost a Divorce (1931), The Old Dark House
The Old Dark House
The Old Dark House is an American comedy horror film directed by James Whale and starring Boris Karloff, produced just one year after their success with Frankenstein, also released by Universal Studios.-Background:...
(1932), Leave It to Smith
Leave It to Smith
Leave It to Smith is a 1933 British comedy film directed by and starring Tom Walls. It also featured Carol Goodner, Anne Grey, Peter Gawthorne and Basil Radford...
(1933), I Was a Spy
I Was a Spy
I Was a Spy is a 1933 British thriller film directed by Victor Saville and starring Madeleine Carroll, Herbert Marshall and Conrad Veidt. A Belgian woman who nurses injured German soldiers during World War I passes intelligence to the British....
(1933), Jew Süss
Jew Suss (1934 film)
Jud Süß is a 1934 British historical romantic drama film. Directed by Lothar Mendes, the film stars German actor Conrad Veidt in the role of Joseph Süss Oppenheimer. British censors did not allow a film to openly criticize the persecution of Jews, since it would have appeared as an attack on German...
(1934), A Cup of Kindness
A Cup of Kindness
A Cup of Kindness is a 1934 British comedy film directed by and starring Tom Walls. It also featured Ralph Lynn, Robertson Hare, Dorothy Hyson and Claude Hulbert...
(1934), Vintage Wine
Vintage Wine
Vintage Wine is a 1935 British comedy film directed by Henry Edwards and starring Seymour Hicks, Claire Luce, Eva Moore and Judy Gunn.-Cast:* Seymour Hicks - Charles Popinot* Claire Luce - Nina Popinot* Eva Moore - Josephine Popinot...
(1935), The Divorce of Lady X
The Divorce of Lady X
The Divorce of Lady X is a 1938 British romantic comedy film made by London Films and distributed by United Artists. It was directed by Tim Whelan and produced by Alexander Korda from a screenplay by Ian Dalrymple and Arthur Wimperis, adapted by Lajos Biró from the play Counsel's Opinion by Gilbert...
(1938), which starred her son-in-law Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
, A Son Is Born (1946) and Of Human Bondage
Of Human Bondage (1946 film)
Of Human Bondage is a 1946 American drama filmdirected by Edmund Goulding. The second screen adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's 1915 novel, the Warner Bros. release was written by Catherine Turney...
(1946).
Moore published her reminiscences under the title of Exits and Entrances. She died in Maidenhead, England, aged 85.