Sarah Siddons
| Sarah Siddons | |
|---|---|
Mrs. Sarah Siddons by Thomas Gainsborough
|
|
| Born |
Sarah Kemble 5 July 1755 Brecon, Wales |
| Died | 8 June 1831 (aged 75) London, England |
| Resting place | Saint Mary's Cemetery, Paddington Green, England |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Spouse(s) | William Siddons |
| Parent(s) | Roger Kemble and Sarah Ward |
Sarah Siddons (5 July 1755 – 8 June 1831) was a Welsh-born actress, the best-known tragedienne of the 18th century. She was the elder sister of John Philip Kemble, Charles Kemble, Stephen Kemble, Ann Hatton and Elizabeth Whitlock, and the aunt of Fanny Kemble. She was most famous for her portrayal of the Shakespearean character, Lady Macbeth, a character she made her own, and for famously fainting at the sight of the Elgin Marbles in London. The Sarah Siddons Society continues to present the Sarah Siddons Award in Chicago every year to a prominent actress.
Siddons was born Sarah Kemble in Brecon, Brecknockshire, Wales, the eldest daughter of Roger Kemble – manager of the touring theatre company the Warwickshire Company of Comedians, which included most members of his family – and Sarah "Sally" Ward.
Acting was only just becoming a respectable profession for a woman and initially her parents disapproved of her choice of profession.
In 1774, Siddons won her first success as Belvidera in Thomas Otway's Venice Preserv'd. This brought her to the attention of David Garrick, who sent his deputy to see her as Calista in Nicholas Rowe's Fair Penitent, the result being that she was engaged to appear at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Owing to inexperience as well as other circumstances, her first appearances as Portia and in other parts were not well received and she received a note from the manager of Drury Lane stating that her services would not be required. She was, in her own words:
...
Wikipedia