Naomi Jacob

Naomi Eleanor Clare Ellington Jacob (1 July 1884 – 27 August 1964), also known by the pen name Ellington Gray, was an English writer, actress, and broadcaster. She was also a suffragist, worked for the Entertainments National Service Association and served as an Officer in the Women’s Legion.

Biography Early life Naomi Jacob was born on 1 July 1884 in Ripon in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the first daughter of Selina Sara "Nina" Ellington Collinson and Samuel Jacob.

Jacob's father served as headmaster of the Ripon Grammar School, where her mother also worked as teacher. Her maternal grandfather, Robert Ellington Collinson, was a mayor of the town and owner of The Unicorn Hotel of Ripon, where the Prince of Wales once stayed. Her great-grandfather Thomas was the second chief police officer in Ripon. Her father was the son of a Jewish refugee from Prussia, but rejected his Jewish ancestry. Nonetheless, Jacob was much attached to her Yiddish-speaking paternal grandfather, a tailor, who maintained Jewish traditions, and she later proudly drew attention to her Jewishness.

Career

After her parents' divorce, Jacob left for Middlesbrough to complete her education and work as a student teacher. She soon left the teaching profession, however, to become an actress in revue. Around the same time, she contracted tuberculosis, a condition that was to affect her for the rest of her life. With physical activity becoming more difficult, Jacob channelled her creative efforts into writing. Jacob wrote non-fiction, biographies, and newspaper articles, as well as a number of novels, such as the Gollantz Saga and Wind on the Heath. Her mother also became a novelist, publishing under the name Nina Abbott.

Jacob had a strong circle of friends, including Marguerite Broadfoote, Radclyffe Hall, "Little Tich", Marie Lloyd, and Bransby Williams. She was also active politically, standing as a Labour parliamentary candidate and becoming involved with the women's suffrage movement. She later became a member of the Conservative Party.

Filmography The First Born (1928) Glamour (1931)