Helen Maud Holt
Encyclopedia
Helen Maud Holt professionally known as Mrs Beerbohm Tree and later Lady Tree, was an English actress. She was the wife of the actor Herbert Beerbohm Tree
and the mother of Viola Tree
, Felicity Tree
and Iris Tree
.
After early stage appearances beginning in 1883, Mrs Tree married and established a theatrical partnership with her husband, in which they appeared in revivals of classic plays and productions of new plays, first at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket and then at Her Majesty's Theatre
. Her performances in serious roles were well received, but she was most celebrated for her work in comedy, from Shakespeare to new works by Wilde and others.
After her husband's death in 1917, Lady Tree continued to act steadily for almost two decades more until towards the end of her life, in plays and some films, making her last stage appearance in 1935.
, taking high honours in classics
, and making her stage debut in a student production of a Greek drama. Her professional debut was in January 1883, playing Jenny Northcott in a revival of Sweethearts
, by W. S. Gilbert
, at the Gaiety Theatre, London
. Later that year, she married the young actor Herbert Beerbohm Tree
. In May 1883, she played her first Shakespearean role, Olivia in Twelfth Night.
In September 1883, now billed under her married name, Mrs Beerbohm Tree, she had what The Times
called "her first big hit" as Hester Gould in G. W. Godfrey's The Millionaire. The reviewer in The Times wrote, "Another excellent impersonation is the Hester Gould of Mrs Beerbohm Tree, a lady who, although new to the stage, has manifestly the temperament and artistic sense of a fine actress. The viperine qualities of this mysterious mischief-maker … are rendered by Mrs Beerbohm Tree with extraordinary incisiveness, and with a concentration of nervous force suggestive of Madame Sarah Bernhardt
."
, Grundy
, Wilde
, Sheridan
and Shakespeare. In 1893, she created the role of Mrs Allonby in Wilde's A Woman of No Importance
, opposite Tree's Lord Illingworth. In 1887, her husband opened the rebuilt Her Majesty's Theatre
, where she then appeared under his direction, also assisting him in theatre management.
Although most celebrated for her performances in contemporary comedies, Mrs Tree appeared with success in more serious roles, including Ophelia in Hamlet
(1891, 1882, and 1905), Lady Percy in Henry IV, Part 1
, Calpurnia in Julius Caesar
(1900), Gertrude in Hamlet (1905), and Portia in Julius Caesar (1911). In Shakespearean comedy she was well known for her appearances in The Merry Wives of Windsor
, in which at various stages in her career she played the juvenile lead, Ann Page, and then both of the merry wives in different productions. Other Shakespeare roles were Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream
(1900), Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing
(1905), and Mistress Quickly in Henry IV, Part 1 (1935).
Although "fond of joking about her comparative importance as Mrs Tree and later as Lady Tree", she was, according to The Manchester Guardian "a witty woman, and by no means an unimportant actress." She exercised discreet influence on Tree's career, persuading him in 1898 that he should play Marc Antony in Julius Caesar, rather than Brutus as he had intended. The effectiveness of her advice was shown when, in the words of The Times, the production "made the name of Tree famous throughout the theatrical world."
Both Tree and his wife were enthusiastic participants in the new medium of filmed drama. She appeared in Still Waters Run Deep (1916), Little Dorrit (1920), Such is the Law
(1930), Wedding Rehearsal
(1932), Early to Bed, The Girl from Maxim's
, The Private Life of Henry VIII
and Her Imaginary Lover (all in 1933), and The Man Who Could Work Miracles
(1936).
and Mrs Malaprop in The Rivals
, one of the highlights of her later career. Her colleague John Martin Harvey said of her, "In her latter years she created a distinct type of acting so clever that no one was able to imitate it."
Lady Tree's last stage appearances were in 1935, as Mistress Quickly to George Robey
's Falstaff at Her Majesty's Theatre, and as the Duchess of Stroud in Our Own Lives at the Ambassadors Theatre, with Irene Vanbrugh
. She died at University College Hospital
, London, after an operation, at age 73.
Herbert Beerbohm Tree
Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree was an English actor and theatre manager.Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre, winning praise for adventurous programming and lavish productions, and starring in many of its productions. In 1899, he helped fund the...
and the mother of Viola Tree
Viola Tree
Viola Tree was an English actress, singer, playwright and author. Daughter of the actor Herbert Beerbohm Tree, she made many of her early appearances with his company at His Majesty's Theatre...
, Felicity Tree
Felicity Tree
Lady Felicity Cory-Wright was an English baronetess, the daughter of the actor Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and his wife, the actress Helen Maud Holt...
and Iris Tree
Iris Tree
Iris Tree was an English poet, actress and artists' model, described as a bohemian, an eccentric, a wit and an adventuress....
.
After early stage appearances beginning in 1883, Mrs Tree married and established a theatrical partnership with her husband, in which they appeared in revivals of classic plays and productions of new plays, first at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket and then at Her Majesty's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre, in Haymarket, City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at the theatre...
. Her performances in serious roles were well received, but she was most celebrated for her work in comedy, from Shakespeare to new works by Wilde and others.
After her husband's death in 1917, Lady Tree continued to act steadily for almost two decades more until towards the end of her life, in plays and some films, making her last stage appearance in 1935.
Early years
Holt was born in London, the daughter of William Holt. She was educated at Queen's College, LondonQueen's College, London
Queen's College is an independent school for girls aged 11–18. It is located in central London at numbers 43-49, Harley Street. Founded in 1848 by F. D. Maurice, Professor of English Literature and History at King's College London along with a committee of patrons, the College was the first...
, taking high honours in classics
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
, and making her stage debut in a student production of a Greek drama. Her professional debut was in January 1883, playing Jenny Northcott in a revival of Sweethearts
Sweethearts (play)
Sweethearts is a comic play billed as a "dramatic contrast" in two acts by W. S. Gilbert. The play tells a sentimental and ironic story of the differing recollections of a man and a woman about their last meeting together before being separated and reunited after 30 years.It was first produced on...
, 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...
, at the Gaiety Theatre, London
Gaiety Theatre, London
The Gaiety Theatre, London was a West End theatre in London, located on Aldwych at the eastern end of the Strand. The theatre was established as the Strand Musick Hall , in 1864 on the former site of the Lyceum Theatre. It was rebuilt several times, but closed from the beginning of World War II...
. Later that year, she married the young actor Herbert Beerbohm Tree
Herbert Beerbohm Tree
Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree was an English actor and theatre manager.Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre, winning praise for adventurous programming and lavish productions, and starring in many of its productions. In 1899, he helped fund the...
. In May 1883, she played her first Shakespearean role, Olivia in Twelfth Night.
In September 1883, now billed under her married name, Mrs Beerbohm Tree, she had what The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
called "her first big hit" as Hester Gould in G. W. Godfrey's The Millionaire. The reviewer in The Times wrote, "Another excellent impersonation is the Hester Gould of Mrs Beerbohm Tree, a lady who, although new to the stage, has manifestly the temperament and artistic sense of a fine actress. The viperine qualities of this mysterious mischief-maker … are rendered by Mrs Beerbohm Tree with extraordinary incisiveness, and with a concentration of nervous force suggestive of Madame Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt was a French stage and early film actress, and has been referred to as "the most famous actress the world has ever known". Bernhardt made her fame on the stages of France in the 1870s, and was soon in demand in Europe and the Americas...
."
Partnership with Tree
For the next four years, Mrs Tree appeared in a range of roles, including that of Maud in Tree's one-act play Six and Eightpence, but husband and wife did not appear in the same plays. In 1887, however, she joined Tree's company at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, appearing with him in numerous roles. Under Tree's direction she played in works by PineroArthur Wing Pinero
Sir Arthur Wing Pinero was an English actor and later an important dramatist and stage director.-Biography:...
, Grundy
Sydney Grundy
Sydney Grundy was an English dramatist. Most of his works were adaptations of European plays, and many became successful enough to tour throughout the English-speaking world...
, Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
, Sheridan
Richard Brinsley Sheridan
Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan was an Irish-born playwright and poet and long-term owner of the London Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. For thirty-two years he was also a Whig Member of the British House of Commons for Stafford , Westminster and Ilchester...
and Shakespeare. In 1893, she created the role of Mrs Allonby in Wilde's A Woman of No Importance
A Woman of No Importance
A Woman of No Importance is a play by Irish playwright Oscar Wilde. The play premièred on 19 April 1893 at London's Haymarket Theatre. It is a testimony of Wilde's wit and his brand of dark comedy...
, opposite Tree's Lord Illingworth. In 1887, her husband opened the rebuilt Her Majesty's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre, in Haymarket, City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at the theatre...
, where she then appeared under his direction, also assisting him in theatre management.
Although most celebrated for her performances in contemporary comedies, Mrs Tree appeared with success in more serious roles, including Ophelia in Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
(1891, 1882, and 1905), Lady Percy in Henry IV, Part 1
Henry IV, Part 1
Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
, Calpurnia in Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar (play)
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, also known simply as Julius Caesar, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599. It portrays the 44 BC conspiracy against...
(1900), Gertrude in Hamlet (1905), and Portia in Julius Caesar (1911). In Shakespearean comedy she was well known for her appearances in The Merry Wives of Windsor
The Merry Wives of Windsor
The Merry Wives of Windsor is a comedy by William Shakespeare, first published in 1602, though believed to have been written prior to 1597. It features the fat knight Sir John Falstaff, and is Shakespeare's only play to deal exclusively with contemporary Elizabethan era English middle class life...
, in which at various stages in her career she played the juvenile lead, Ann Page, and then both of the merry wives in different productions. Other Shakespeare roles were Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
(1900), Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy written by William Shakespeare about two pairs of lovers, Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero....
(1905), and Mistress Quickly in Henry IV, Part 1 (1935).
Although "fond of joking about her comparative importance as Mrs Tree and later as Lady Tree", she was, according to The Manchester Guardian "a witty woman, and by no means an unimportant actress." She exercised discreet influence on Tree's career, persuading him in 1898 that he should play Marc Antony in Julius Caesar, rather than Brutus as he had intended. The effectiveness of her advice was shown when, in the words of The Times, the production "made the name of Tree famous throughout the theatrical world."
Both Tree and his wife were enthusiastic participants in the new medium of filmed drama. She appeared in Still Waters Run Deep (1916), Little Dorrit (1920), Such is the Law
Such Is the Law (1930 film)
Such Is the Law is a 1930 British film directed by Sinclair Hill.- Cast :*Kate Cutler as Mother*Frances Day as Wife*Maud Gill as Aunt's Maid*Carl Harbord as Vivian Fairfax*Gibb McLaughlin as Valet*Nancy Price as Aunt*Miriam Seegar as Other Woman*C...
(1930), Wedding Rehearsal
Wedding Rehearsal
Wedding Rehearsal is a 1932 British romantic comedy film starring Roland Young as a bachelor forced to seek a wife.-Plot:"Reggie" , the carefree Marquis of Buckminster, is happy to serve as best man at his friends' weddings, but loathes the idea of getting married himself...
(1932), Early to Bed, The Girl from Maxim's
The Girl from Maxim's
The Girl from Maxim's is a 1933 British musical comedy film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Frances Day, Leslie Henson, Lady Tree and Stanley Holloway. A Doctor tries to pass off a singer as his wife in Paris in 1904...
, The Private Life of Henry VIII
The Private Life of Henry VIII
The Private Life of Henry VIII is a 1933 film about Henry VIII, King of England. It was written by Lajos Biró and Arthur Wimperis, and directed by Sir Alexander Korda.Charles Laughton won the 1933 Academy Award as Best Actor for his performance as Henry...
and Her Imaginary Lover (all in 1933), and The Man Who Could Work Miracles
The Man Who Could Work Miracles
The Man Who Could Work Miracles is a 1936 British fantasy-comedy film. It is a greatly expanded version of H.G. Wells’s story of the same name. It was the final adaptation of one of Wells' works to be produced during his lifetime.-Plot outline:...
(1936).
Later years
Tree died in 1917. His wife continued acting after his death, working until almost the end of her life 20 years later. Among the roles for which she was most celebrated were Lady Teazle in The School for ScandalThe School for Scandal
The School for Scandal is a play written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. It was first performed in London at Drury Lane Theatre on May 8, 1777.The prologue, written by David Garrick, commends the play, its subject, and its author to the audience...
and Mrs Malaprop in The Rivals
The Rivals
The Rivals, a play by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, is a comedy of manners in five acts. It was first performed on 17 January 1775.- Production :...
, one of the highlights of her later career. Her colleague John Martin Harvey said of her, "In her latter years she created a distinct type of acting so clever that no one was able to imitate it."
Lady Tree's last stage appearances were in 1935, as Mistress Quickly to George Robey
George Robey
Sir George Edward Wade , better known by his stage name, George Robey, was an English music hall comedian and star. He was marketed as the "Prime Minister of Mirth".-Early life:...
's Falstaff at Her Majesty's Theatre, and as the Duchess of Stroud in Our Own Lives at the Ambassadors Theatre, with Irene Vanbrugh
Irene Vanbrugh
Dame Irene Vanbrugh DBE , née Barnes, was an English actress. The daughter of a clergyman, Vanbrugh followed her elder sister Violet into the theatrical profession, and sustained a career for more than 50 years....
. She died at University College Hospital
University College Hospital
University College Hospital is a teaching hospital located in London, United Kingdom. It is part of the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is closely associated with University College London ....
, London, after an operation, at age 73.