Alfred Lester

Alfred Lester (25 October 1870 – 6 May 1925), real name Alfred Edwin Leslie, was an English actor and comedian. Born into a theatrical family, he learnt his craft touring in melodramas, as a young man, but made his reputation as a comedian in musical comedy, music hall and, later, revue.

Lester's gloomy stage persona was seen to its quintessential comic effect in the long-running musical The Arcadians (1909) in which he delivered optimistic lyrics in a lugubrious manner. Among his other hit shows were The New Aladdin (1906), Havana (1908) and The Bing Boys Are Here (1916). His co-stars included George Grossmith Jr., Phyllis Dare, George Robey and Violet Lorraine.

Ill health brought Lester's career to a premature close, and he died of pneumonia at the age of fifty four.

Early life and career Lester was born in Preston, Lester made his theatrical debut at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, in the role of Little Willie Carlyle in East Lynne. He toured the provinces for several years playing in some comedies in roles such as Charles Middlewick in Our Boys, but the staples of the touring repertory were melodramas, including The Lights o' London, The Shaughraun and The Colleen Bawn.

In 1905 Lester was engaged to play in a musical comedy, The Officers' Mess – or How They Got Out of It at Terry's Theatre, London, where he was spotted by Alfred Butt, who ran variety shows at the Palace Theatre. At the same theatre he played Nix, the bo'sun, in another musical Havana in 1908; again, his performance received critical praise as the best thing in the piece.

The Arcadians in 1909 confirmed Lester's reputation as a leading West End performer. In a cast that included Phyllis Dare, Dan Rolyat and Florence Smithson, he was singled out by The Times, which found him "more hilariously melancholy than ever: the audience rocked to hear him sing that his motto was 'always merry and bright.'" In 1912 he played Vodka in The Grass Widows, and the following year was Byles in The Pearl Girl. Between runs in musical comedy he returned to his music hall monologues.

His later roles in musical comedy were Umpicof in Round the Map (1917), Hu-Du in Shanghai (1918), George in The Eclipse (1919) and Miggles in a revival of The Shop Girl (1920). He starred in four more revues: Pins and Needles (1921), Fun of the Fayre (1921), Rats (1923), and his final show, The Punch Bowl (1924). He was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium on 27 May 1925 and buried at Kensal Green Cemetery the following day.