Eleanor Daniels (28 December 1886 – 18 March 1994) was a Welsh stage and film actress.

Eleanor Daniels
A young white woman with dark hair, wearing a white lace collar
Eleanor Daniels, from a 1914 publication
Born28 December 1886
Llanarthney, Carmarthenshire, UK
Died18 March 1994 (age 107)
Darien, Connecticut, US
Other namesEllyw (bardic name)
Occupation(s)Actress, singer, vocal coach

Early life

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Eleanor Jane Daniels was born in Llanarthney and raised in Llanelli, the daughter David Daniels and Margaret Daniels. Her father was a hay merchant and publican.[1] She had her first public success at age 13, when she won a prize at a local eisteddfod.[2] She won three National Eisteddfod chairs by 1907,[3] and studied acting with the Herbert Beerbohm Tree company.[1]

Career

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Daniels taught school as a young woman, and acted in Welsh stage dramas in Great Britain. She toured the United States with the Welsh Players in 1914.[4] She moved to the United States soon after, and appeared on stage and in silent films,[5][6] with good reviews for her work,[7] though Dorothy Parker commented that "Eleanor Daniels works enthusiastically at being funny."[8]

Daniels' stage roles included parts in Change (London 1912, 1913, New York 1914),[9][10][11][12] The Joneses (London 1913), Kitty MacKay (1914),[13][14] Loyalty, Heart of the Heather, Zach, Kitty Darlin' (1917),[15] Lassies, La La Lucille (1919, 1920),[16] Ashes (1924),[17] The Beaten Track (1926),[18][19] Juno and the Paycock (1926),[20] and Rain.[1] Her film appearances included a role in If Winter Comes (1923).[19][21] She was a vocal coach in New York later in life,[2] and had an office job with a diabetes charity.[22]

Personal life

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Daniels died in 1994, aged 107 years, in Darien, Connecticut. A blue plaque honouring Daniels was unveiled in Llanelli in 2011.[22]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Lyons, Stephen. "Eleanor Daniels". Llanelli Community Heritage. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Eleanor Daniels recites, aged 104". BBC News. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  3. ^ "Miss Eleanor Daniels". The Cambrian. 30 August 1907. p. 2. Retrieved 4 April 2021 – via Welsh Newspapers.
  4. ^ "Hits of the Month". The Theatre. 19: 322. June 1914.
  5. ^ "People: Eleanor Daniels". Silent Era. Archived from the original on 14 November 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  6. ^ Patterson, Ada (September 1914). "Actresses Who Have Their Chance This Season". Theatre Magazine. 20: 106.
  7. ^ "Miss Eleanor Daniel. American Tribute to Llanelly's Talented Actress". Llanelly Star. 21 February 1914. p. 3. Retrieved 4 April 2021 – via Welsh Newspapers.
  8. ^ Parker, Dorothy (August 1919). "The First Shows of Summer". Vanity Fair. Vol. 11. p. 66.
  9. ^ Wearing, J. P. (19 December 2013). The London Stage 1910-1919: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-9300-9.
  10. ^ "Stage Society: 'Chance'". The Observer. 14 December 1913. p. 9. Retrieved 4 April 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Booth". The Theatre. 19: 158. March 1914.
  12. ^ "'Change' is a Rare Play". Harrisburg Daily Independent. 3 March 1914. p. 4. Retrieved 4 April 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "With the First Nighters: Kitty McKay". Goodwin's Weekly. 23: 10. 15 November 1914.
  14. ^ "'Kitty MacKay' Moves to the Cort Theatre". The Boston Globe. 4 April 1915. p. 62. Retrieved 4 April 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Alice Nielsen in Comic Opera". The Boston Globe. 30 October 1917. p. 4. Retrieved 4 April 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "La La Lucille (advertisement)". Chicago Tribune. 30 November 1919. p. 85. Retrieved 4 April 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Mantle, Burns; Sherwood, Garrison P. (1925). The Best Plays and the Year Book of the Drama in America. Dodd, Mead. p. 475.
  18. ^ Allen, Kelcey (9 February 1926). "Amusements: 'The Beaten Track' Drama Of Life And Death, Opens At Frolic: Eleanor Daniels And Gavin Muir Excellent In Play With Scene Laid In Wales". Women's Wear. p. 13 – via ProQuest.
  19. ^ a b "An Old Woman Now". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 7 February 1926. p. 62. Retrieved 4 April 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Allen, Kelcey (16 March 1926). "Vibrant Drama Of Irish Life Finely Acted At Mayfair: 'Juno And The Paycock,' By Sean O'Casey, Is Realistic And Powerful Study Leavened By Homely Humor". Women's Wear. p. 12 – via ProQuest.
  21. ^ Munden, Kenneth White (1997). The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States. University of California Press. p. 374. ISBN 978-0-520-20969-5.
  22. ^ a b "Silent film actress Eleanor Daniels' plaque in Llanelli". BBC News. 9 October 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
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