Effie Ellsler
| Effie Ellsler | |
|---|---|
New York Public Library Digital Gallery
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| Born |
Euphemia Ellsler September 17, 1855 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | October 8, 1942 (aged 87) Los Angeles, California |
| Occupation | Stage and Screen Actor |
| Spouse(s) | Frank Weston (1881–1922) |
Effie Ellsler (September 17, 1855 – October 8, 1942) was an American actress of stage and screen whose career had its beginnings when she was a child and lasted well into the 1930s. She was best remembered over her early career for playing the title role in Steele MacKaye's hit play Hazel Kirke, and as the self-sacrificing Bessie Barton in Frank Harver's Woman Against Woman. Ellsler remained active during her later years appearing between 1901 and 1936 in at least six Broadway productions and twenty-two motion pictures.
Euphemia "Effie" Ellsler was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania the daughter of actors John and Euphemia "Effie" (née Murray) Ellsler. She first appeared on stage at the age of three in Cleveland, Ohio at the Academy of Music; by then under the management of her father. Ellsler's first role was the Genie of the Ring in a production called, Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp . At age four she was cast as Little Eva in an adaptation of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. As a young girl Ellsler would often be asked to play juvenile roles with her father’s stock company while attending school at the local Ursuline Convent and, with the aid of her mother, ballet dance classes.
It was during this period, and while still very young, she was called upon to do one of the apparitions in Macbeth. At the cue, she appeared behind the boiling caldron, when a flash of red fire startled her and caused her to forget her lines. Suddenly recovering her presence of mind, she thrust her hand into the bosom of her dress, drew forth a book of the play, and read the words. The Illustrated American, 1892
At the age of sixteen Ellsler became a regular player with her father’s company performing roles ranging from minor bit parts to a leading lady in Shakespearean plays. When she was about twenty-three Ellsler starred at her father's new Euclid Avenue Opera House in the original production of A Heroine in Rags, a comedy-drama written specifically for her by the playwright Bartley Campbell. Ellsler’s big break came in 1880 when she created the title role in Hazel Kirke at the Madison Square Theatre, New York. She continued in the part, nearly without break, for three years and only stopped after her doctor advised her to do so.
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