Nellie Stewart

Eleanor Towzey "Nellie" Stewart (20 November 1858 – 21 June 1931) was an Australian actress and singer, known as "Our Nell" and "Sweet Nell".

Born into a theatrical family, Stewart began acting as a child. As a young woman, she built a career playing in operetta and Gilbert and Sullivan operas. In the mid-1880s, she began a long relationship with the theatrical manager, George Musgrove. In the 1890s, Stewart had fewer successful roles. Overwork had taken a toll on her voice, and she took several years off from performing, giving birth to a daughter with Musgrove.

In 1902, Stewart had one of her greatest successes in the title role in Sweet Nell of Old Drury, and found another success at the end of the decade in Sweet Kitty Bellairs. After this, she continued to perform in both comedy and drama, and worked in theatre management, through the 1920s.

Stewart was born in Sydney on 20 November 1858. Her father, Richard Stewart (originally Towsey)(c. 1826–1902), was an actor and singer who, in 1857, married Mrs. Guerin, née Theodosia Yates, a great-granddaughter of the famous actor and actress Richard Yates and Mary Ann Yates. Nellie's mother came to Australia in 1840 and took leading parts in opera. She played the title role in Maritana when the opera was first produced at Sydney. Her two daughters by Guerin were well known on the Australian stage as Docie (born Docy) and Maggie Stewart. The theatre was thus in Nellie Stewart's blood, but she was brought up strictly. The family had moved to Melbourne where Nellie went first to the old model school, and afterwards for a time to a boarding-school. She was taught fencing by her father, dancing by Henry Leopold and, later on, singing by David Miranda, father of Lalla Miranda.

At about five years of age, Stewart played a juvenile role with Charles Kean in The Stranger, and as the years went on took children's parts in pantomime. In 1877, she sang and danced through seven parts in a family production called Rainbow Revels, and in 1878 she played Ralph Rackstraw in an early production in Melbourne of H.M.S. Pinafore. In the following year she was a member of her father's company which toured India, and then went on to the United States to play a small town tour.

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