Amelia Summerville

Amelia Summerville (born Amelia Shaw, 15 October 1862 – 21 January 1934) was an Irish-born American stage and silent film actress.

Amelia Summerville
Amelia Summerville in costume for Trilby, from an 1895 publication.
Born
Amelia M. Shaw

15 October 1862
County Kildare, Ireland
Died21 January 1934 (aged 71)
New York City, U.S.
Years active1867–1925

Biography

Summerville was born in County Kildare, Ireland[1][2] and migrated to Toronto, Ontario, Canada as a child. She first appeared on stage at the age of 7 in an operetta in Toronto.[1]

In 1884, Summerville appeared in her first leading role in the play Adonis. She originated the role of Rosetta, the Mountain Maid.[3][4]

Summerville appeared in fourteen Broadway plays from 1885 to 1925.[1] She also performed in silent films during the 1910s and 1920s.

Summerville took an interest in dieting and claimed to have lost 100 pounds (45 kg) in three months, from 249 pounds (113 kg) to 149 pounds (68 kg).[5] She authored Why be Fat?: Rules for Weight-reduction and the Preservation of Youth and Health (1916).[6] She was a fan of corned beef hash and stale bread.[7]

In 1920 she was named chairman of the New York Women's State Democratic Committee.[2]

She fell on ice on January 3, 1934, and died on January 21 of her injuries.[2]

Partial filmography

Publications

References
Notes
  1. Amelia Summerville at the Internet Broadway Database
  2. "Miss Summerville, Comedienne, Dead". timesmachine.nytimes.com. January 22, 1934. p. 15. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  3. Ganzl, Kurt (2002). William B. Gill: From the Goldfields to Broadway. Routledge. p. 152. ISBN 0-415-93767-1.
  4. Kasson, John F. (August 12, 2001). "'Houdini, Tarzan, and the Perfect Man: The White Male Body and the Challenge of Modernity in America'". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-02-07.
  5. "Amelia Summerville is Writing Memoirs". Los Angeles Herald. 25 September 1908.
  6. Smith, Andrew F. (2017). Food in America: The Past, Present, and Future of Food, Farming, and the Family Meal, Volume 1. ABC-Clio. p. 97. ISBN 978-1-4408-4731-8
  7. Raskin, Hanna. (2010). "Five forgotten health foods". Dallas Observer. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
Bibliography
  • "Miss Summerville, Comedienne, Dead". The New York Times. January 22, 1934. p. 15.
  • "Pneumonia is Fatal to Noted Stage Actress". Chicago Daily Tribune. January 22, 1934.
  • Leonard, John W.; Marquis, Albert N. (1906). Who's Who in America. p. 1737. ISSN 0083-9396.
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