Malvina Pray Florence

Malvina Pray Florence (April 19, 1830–February 18, 1906) was an American dancer and comic actress.[1][2] She was the first American comic actress to play on the English stage.[3]

Biography

Born as Anna Theresa Pray on April 19, 1830, in New York City, United States, Malvina Pray Florence was the daughter of Samuel Pray and his wife, Anna Lewis.[4] She studied dancing with Madame Dagarden. She professionally adopted the name Malvina. She began her career as a dancer during the mid-1840s in various New York theaters including the Olympic, Castle Carden, Vauxhall Carden, and Greenwich.[2]

At the age of sixteen, she was married to actor Joseph Littell, which ended in divorce in 1846.[2][4] In 1853 she married William Jermyn Florence, American actor, with whom she entered upon a long period of starring. Both are known for specializing Irish comedies. She often appeared on the stage as a Yankee to him Irishman.[5] She also played Mrs. Gilflory opposite him in Woolf's play, the Mighty Dollar.[6][7]

She had a four-decade-long career as a comedienne touring the United States and Great Britain, becoming the first American comedienne to perform in Europe beginning in 1856.[8]

She also performed in different plays such as The Yankee Gal (1853), Ireland As It Is and Woman's Wrong, Dombey and Son (1862), The Ticket-of-Leave Man (1863), and Our Governor (1885).[9][4]

James claims that she was a dancer extraordinaire.[3] In 1889 she announced her retirement.[2][4]

She died on February 18, 1906, in New York City, United States.

References

  1. ↑ Sobel, Bernard (1948). The Theatre Handbook and Digest of Plays. New York City: Crown Publishers. p. 352. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Radcliffe College (1971). Notable American Women, 1607–1950: A Biographical Dictionary, Band 2. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 634. ISBN 978-0-674-62734-5. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  3. 1 2 James, Henry (May 3, 2011). A Small Boy and Others: A Critical Edition. Charlottesville, Virginia: University of Virginia Press. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-813-93089-3. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Florence, Malvina Pray (1830–1906)". encyclopedia.com. encyclopedia.com. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  5. ↑ Wilson, Scott (August 22, 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 247. ISBN 978-0-786-47992-4. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  6. ↑ Marra, Kim (2009). Strange Duets: Impresarios and Actresses in the American Theatre, 1865–1914. Iowa City, Iowa: University of Iowa Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-587-29741-0. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  7. ↑ Fisher, James (April 16, 2015). Historical Dictionary of American Theater: Beginnings. Washington, DC: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 172. ISBN 978-0-810-87833-4. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  8. ↑ Mullenneaux, Nan (December 1, 2018). Staging Family: Domestic Deceptions of Mid-Nineteenth-Century American Actresses. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press. p. N.A. ISBN 978-1-496-21089-0. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  9. ↑ Bordman, Gerald (May 6, 2004). The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. p. 232. ISBN 978-0-199-77115-8. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
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