Cissie Loftus
| Cecilia Loftus | |
|---|---|
Postcard of Cecilia Loftus (circa 1903)
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| Born |
Marie Cecilia Loftus Brown 22 October 1876 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Died | 12 July 1943 (aged 66) New York City, U.S. |
| Other names | Cissie, Cissy |
| Occupation | Actress, singer, vaudevillian |
| Years active | 1893–1941 |
| Spouse(s) | Justin Huntly McCarthy (1893–1900) Alonzo Higbee Waterman (1908–1920); 1 child |
Cecilia "Cissie" or "Cissy" Loftus (22 October 1876 – 12 July 1943) was a Scottish actress, singer, mimic, vaudevillian, and music hall performer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Loftus was born Marie Cecilia Loftus Brown in Glasgow, Scotland. Her father, Ben Brown (1848–1926), was part of the successful variety group, Brown, Newland & Le Clerc. Her mother, Marie Loftus (1857–1940), an actress, pantomimic, and music hall performer, who was only 18 years old when Cecilia was born, later became a star of burlesque, billed as "The Sarah Bernhardt of the Halls".
She was given an education at the Convent of the Holy Child, Raikes Parade, Blackpool, England which moved in 1890 to the premises at Layton Hill Convent, Blackpool which it still occupies although now, after various name changes, splits and mergers, it is known as St. Mary's Catholic College. In July 1893, 17-year-old Cissy Loftus made her at the Oxford Music Hall in London, followed by an appearance at the Palace Theatre of Varieties. After an early career in music hall and variety performing impersonations of well-known actresses of the day, such as Yvette Guilbert, she appeared at the Gaiety Theatre in musical comedy for one season.
In 1894, she appeared in vaudeville at the Lyceum Theatre in New York City. Loftus toured with the Ada Rehan Company and the Augustin Daly Company before she first appeared at Koster & Bial's on 21 January 1895. With the Rehan troupe she played Washington, DC, St. Louis, Missouri, and Chicago, Illinois as "Miss Cecile" in a playbill. Her exit from Daly's organisation occurred after Loftus was offered larger salaries in New York City. Other roles she played prior to 1895 were "Winnie" in The Last Word and "Audrey" in Love's Labour's Lost. Critics did not speak kindly of her work in these parts, to her dismay. Loftus became an international favourite in vaudeville along with Vesta Tilley and Harry Lauder.
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