Gilbert, Anne (1821–1904)

Anglo-American dancer and actress. Name variations: Ann; Mrs. Gilbert; Mrs. George H. Gilbert. Born Anne Jane Hartley in Rochdale, Lancashire, England, on October 21, 1821; died in a Chicago

hotel on December 2, 1904; studied dance in the ballet school of Her Majesty's Theatre, Haymarket; married George H. Gilbert (a dancer and manager), in 1846 (died 1866).

Anne Gilbert was born Anne Jane Hartley in Rochdale, Lancashire, England, on October 21, 1821. By age 15, she was a pupil at the ballet school connected with the Haymarket theater. Ten years later, in 1846, she married George H. Gilbert, a fellow performer, and together they filled many engagements in English theaters. In October 1849, they moved to America, intent on giving up the stage for a farm in Wisconsin. When that enterprise did not pan out, they joined a Chicago theater company.

In the role of Wichavenda in Brougham's Pocahontas , Anne Gilbert had her first success in a speaking part (1857). She and her husband then moved to New York in 1864. That September, Anne made her Manhattan debut in Finesse, presented by Mrs. John Wood (Matilda Wood ).

Gilbert was best remembered as old Mrs. Gilbert, one of the famous members of Augustin Daly's Company, which she joined in 1869. A stage star for 47 years, she became identified with eccentric elderly women roles, such as Mrs. Candour in The School for Scandal and Mrs. Hard-castle in She Stoops to Conquer. The ensemble team of Gilbert, Ada Rehan , John Drew, and James Lewis became known as "The Big Four." After Augustin Daly's death, Gilbert came under Charles Frohman's management. In 1904, at age 83, she began her farewell tour in Clyde Fitch's Granny, which had been commissioned specifically for her. After receiving standing ovations in New York and Chicago, she died one month into the tour on December 2, 1904. Gilbert is known to have held a unique position in the American theater due to the esteem, admiration, and affection she enjoyed both on and off the stage.

suggested reading:

Martin, Charlotte M., ed. The Stage Reminiscences of Mrs. Gilbert. 1901.