Frances Ann Denny Drake

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Frances Ann Denny Drake (November 6, 1797-September 1, 1875) was an American actress, foremost known as a tragedienne.[1] She had a successful career from 1815 onward, toured all the United States and has been described as the perhaps most well-known actress in America prior to Charlotte Cushman.

Drake was born on November 6, 1797, in Schenectady, New York.[2] Her acting debut came as Julia in the comedy The Midnight Hour in Cherry Valley, New York.[3]

Joseph Jefferson said about her "Before Charlotte Cushman reached the height of her popularity the leading tragic actress of America was Mrs. A. Drake."[4] Drake acted in New York between 1824 and 1835 in various roles, visited England in 1833.[5] Drake's roles in plays included Bianaca in Fazio, Imogene in Bertram, Julia in The Hunchback, and Mrs. Haller in The Stranger as well as most heroines in Shakespeare's works.[6]

In 1823, she married Alexander Drake, who headed the theatrical company in which she was a novice actress.[3] They had a daughter and three sons.[6] After his death in 1930,[3] she married George W. Cutter, an attorney and activist. They lived in Covington, Kentucky,[7] but an unhappy marriage led to a separation, and she once more used Drake as her last name.[3]

On September 1, 1875, Drake died[2] on her son's farm in Oldham County, Kentucky, aged 78.[6]

References[]

  1. ^ Robin O. Warren, Women on Southern Stages, 1800–1865: Performance, Gender and Identity
  2. ^ a b "Frances Ann Denny Drake". Britannica. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d "A History of the Theater in Louisville". The Courier-Journal. Kentucky, Louisville. January 29, 1922. p. 25. Retrieved November 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ JOSEPH JEFFERSON (1889). THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF JOSEPH JEFFERSON. THE CENTURY CO.
  5. ^ James, Edward T.; James, Janet Wilson; Boyer, Paul S.; College, Radcliffe (1971). Notable American Women, 1607-1950: A Biographical Dictionary. Harvard University Press. p. 517. ISBN 9780674627345. The%20Midnight%20Hour%20%22frances%22%20drake.
  6. ^ a b c "Mrs. Drake Returns To Fresh Triumphs". The Cincinnati Enquirer. September 27, 1936. p. 59. Retrieved November 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Tenkotte, Paul A.; Claypool, James C. (17 October 2014). The Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky. University Press of Kentucky. p. 253. ISBN 978-0-8131-5996-6. Retrieved November 27, 2020.


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