Fred Emney Sr

Frederick Charles Emney (5 March 1865 – 7 January 1917), was an English comedian and actor, known for his appearances in farce, comic opera, musical comedy, music hall and pantomime. He was a member of a theatrical family: among his uncles was the popular comedian Arthur Williams, and he was the father of Fred Emney, a comic character actor frequently seen on stage and screen in the mid-20th century.

Life and career Emney was born in Islington, London. One of his earliest successes was as Lurcher, the sheriff's officer, in the comic opera Dorothy, succeeding Arthur Williams in the role; the uncle played it more than 900 times, and the nephew made over 800 appearances in it. Theatre historian Roy Busby described him as "an outstanding burlesque comedian." and The Bookmaker on tour with Arthur Williams. His pantomime roles at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane included Nurse in The Sleeping Beauty and the Beast in 1900–1901, Mayor in Mother Goose in 1902–1903 and Empress in Sinbad, 1906–1907. The West End musical comedy roles that he originated included Posh Jenkins in Lady Madcap (1904), Tournesol in The Merveilleuses (1906) and Nervy Nat in The Gay Gordons (1907).

From 1907 Emney began to appear in music hall shows, in a long-running sketch A Sister to Assist 'er, which he played around the country, first with Sydney Fairbrother and later with Louise Tinsley. In 1914 he received warm notices for his portrayal of the Empress in Sinbad opposite George Robey.

During a performance of a pantomime version of Cinderella at the London Opera House in 1917, Emney slipped on stage, fell heavily and damaged his spine, and despite two emergency operations he died a few days later, at the age of 51. His son, Fred Emney Jr., was chief mourner at the funeral, which was attended by members of Emney's profession, led by George Graves and Harry Tate.