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Ellaline Terriss

Picture Ellaline Terriss

1872 - 1971

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The actress Ellaline Terriss was born as Ellaline Lewin on Falkland Island. Her father later changed his name from William Lewin to William Ellalline and became a famous actor. Ellaline took over this new name.

She got acting lessons by her father and made her stage debut in 1888 with "Cupid's Messenger" in the role of Mary Herbert. She was convincing the critics and got a three-year contract by producer Charles Wyndham.

Briefly afterwards she met actor Seymour Hicks and they got married in 1893. Two years later they went together on tour in the USA.

Ellaline Terriss had to bear a serious blow in 1897 when her father was murdered by the unemployed actor Richard Archer Prince in front of the Royal Adelphi Theater. The crime decorated the headlines of the newspapers for weeks. A huge wave of sympathy was showed for Ellaline Terriss who was already designated as the most successful British stage couple togehter with her husband at this time.
Ellaline Terriss and Seymour Hicks were still very successful in the next ten years. 

After the birth of her second daughter Betty in 1906 she retired more or less from the acting, she only appeared sporadically in selected plays. Only a few years later she returned regularly on stage again, among others she went on Tour to South Africa with Seymour Hicks, later she appeared in France.

Ellaline Terriss made her film debut in 1913 with the production "Scrooge" and "David Garrick" (13). But her works in front of the camera kept sporadical, to her few movies belong "Flame of Passion" (15), "A Woman of the World" (16), "Always Tell Your Wife" (23), "Blighty" (27) and "Atlantic" (29). 

Her last movies came in the 30's into being with "Glamour" (31), "The Iron Duke" (34) and "The Four Just Men" (39). 
 

Other movies with Ellaline Terriss:
Masks and Faces (18) Land of Hope and Glory (27) A Man of Mayfair (31) Royal Cavalcade (35)


 
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