Sybil Carlisle

Sybil Carlisle (10 February 1871 – 1951) was a British actress born in South Africa who was active in both England and the United States during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Early life Carlisle was born on 10 February 1871 in Cape Colony, South Africa, daughter of Mr Carlisle and Mrs M.A. Carlisle Carr, a singing instructor and musician. She was the sister of Lieutenant Carlisle, who gained fame during the Second Boer War, and of painter Mary Helen Carlisle. Her grandfather was General Sir John Bisset.

Carlisle's parents had moved to South Africa from England after they got married and before Carlisle was born. After her father died, Carlisle and her mother moved back to England. Her mother remarried and supported her daughter by giving singing lessons.

Carlisle appears to have been unwilling to share details of her early life once her stage career started, forgoing any mentions of her origins in early editions of Who's Who in the Theatre. It was only in later editions where she shared her date and place of birth. She then was an understudy at the Royal Court Theatre with Mrs. John Wood until July 1891 when she began her engagement with Charles Wyndham. Wyndham appointed her as the understudy of Mary Moore in all of her parts at the Criterion Theatre for at least two years. Daly saw promise in Carlisle's skill at playing small characters with "buoyancy and attractiveness". He encouraged Carlisle to join his company and she subsequently took part in many notable revivals of Daly's revivals, both in England (including the 1896 London season) and United States (beginning in the New York City 1894–5 season). Carlisle's subsequent theatrical appearances included Madame Polenta in Betsy, and Poppy Jannaway in My Friend the Prince.

Personal life Carlisle first met novelist and playwright John Galsworthy whilst they acted together in a production of T. W. Robertson's Caste when Carlisle was around 16 years old. It was reported that after this meeting, Galsworthy fell in love with Carlisle, although she did not return his feelings. It is possible that Galsworthy's romantic feelings towards Carlisle resulted in his detachment from his career in law and prompted his father to send him abroad.

Death Carlisle died in the summer of 1951. At the time she was living in Kensington and suffering from arthritis.