Lilian Braithwaite

Dame Florence Lilian Braithwaite (9 March 1873 – 17 September 1948) was an English actress, primarily of the stage, although she appeared in both silent and talkie films.

Early life

Born 9 March 1873 in Ramsgate, Kent, the daughter of the Revd John Masterman Braithwaite (1846–1889), then a curate and later vicar of Croydon, and his wife, Elizabeth Jane, daughter of Colonel Thomas Sidney Powell, CB. Educated at Croydon High School, she was the eldest of seven children, having five brothers, two of whom—Colonel Francis Powell Braithwaite and Vice-Admiral Lawrence Walter Braithwaite—served with distinction in the military. Her sister Dorothy Louisa married Philip Maud.

Braithwaite first acted with amateur companies, including the Strolling Players and the Oxford University Dramatic Society, but her decision to turn professional was met with strong opposition from her parents. However, in 1897 at the age of 24, she joined the William Haviland and Gerald Lawrence Shakespearean company, making her first professional appearances in minor roles during a tour of South Africa in 1897. and their daughter, the actress Joyce Carey (1898–1993) was born on their return to London from South Africa. The couple divorced in 1905 following his adultery and desertion.

Career

Braithwaite made her first professional London appearance as Celia in As You Like It in 1900. Next, she appeared in Paul Kester's Sweet Nell of Old Drury at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. In 1901, she joined the company of Frank Benson and with him appeared in a season of the works of Shakespeare at the Comedy Theatre. She then toured with George Alexander and appeared under his management at the St James's Theatre from 1901 to 1904. In 1912, she appeared as the Madonna in C. B. Cochran's production of the mystery play The Miracle at Olympia while in 1913 she played Mrs Gregory in Mr. Wu. In 1921 she was Margaret Fairfield in A Bill of Divorcement by Clemence Dane. She returned to comedy in Arsenic and Old Lace in December 1942 which played for three years. Her last known notable performance was as Mrs. Armitage in the film A Man About the House (1947).

Dame Lilian Braithwaite died in London on 17 September 1948, in the belief that her illness was temporary and that soon she would be rehearsing a new play.

Selected filmography

The World's Desire (1915) Justice (1917) Dombey and Son (1917) The Gay Lord Quex (1917) Because (1918) Castles in Spain (1920) Mary Find the Gold (1921) A Man of Mayfair (1931) The Chinese Puzzle (1932) Moscow Nights (1935) A Man About the House (1947)