Gwen Farrar

Gwendoline "Gwen" Farrar (14 July 1897 – 25 December 1944) was an English duettist, cellist, singer, actress and comedian.

Early life Gwendoline Farrar was born on 14 July 1897, at 108 Park Street, London. She was the third of six daughters of Sir George Farrar, a prominent figure in South African mining and politics, and Ella Mabel Waylen (c.1869–1922). She attended Heathfield School briefly and then trained as a classical cellist with Herbert Walenn. She received her LRAM in 1917. The death of her father left Gwen a comfortable fortune which, in addition to her own earnings on stage, made her an independent woman. After her mother's death, some of her sisters continued to live as tenants at Chicheley Hall. She was friends with Radclyffe Hall, Joe Carstairs and their circle. She was romantically linked to actress Tallulah Bankhead when the latter was living in London.

She died after a short illness on 25 December 1944.

Legacy A 2014 play, All The Nice Girls by Alison Child and Rosie Wakley, tells the personal and professional partnership of Gwen Farrar and Norah Blaney. Child is also the author of Tell Me I'm Forgiven: The Story of Forgotten Stars Gwen Farrar and Norah Blaney.