Louise Allen (c. 1870–1909) was an American stage actress and dancer, known for comedic roles. She was the first wife of actor William Collier, with whom she appeared in several productions.
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Allen was born around 1870 in San Francisco or New York City[a] to John and Rachel Allen, both of English descent, and educated in San Francisco where her father was a musician.[4][9] Her siblings included Ricca and Ray Allen, with whom she appeared as the Allen Sisters, a dancing troupe of the 1880s.[10]
Her earliest appearance on the stage was at Niblo's Garden in June 1885, as Bessie in Around the World in Eighty Days. Three years later, she was seen at the Academy of Music in Mazulum, and returning to Niblo's Garden she later played Pepita in Mathias Sandorf. In 1889 she appeared at the Windsor Theatre in The Spider and the Fly. Her first substantial New York success was in 1890, as Ellen in Doctor Bill.[1]
She married William Collier in 1892,[11] and appeared with him in plays over the next several years, their last co-appearance being The Dictator in 1905. She then toured with Lew Fields and went into vaudeville. She died of heart disease at her New York City home on November 8, 1909.[3][12] Her niece, also named Louise Allen, became a Broadway actress in the 1920s.[13]
Notes edit
- ^ Sources vary on her birth place: New York,[1][2] or San Francisco.[3][4] Her birthplace is recorded as California in the 1870 and 1880 censuses.[5][6] Her marriage certificate states San Francisco as place of birth.[7] Once source gives her birth date as January 7, 1872,[8] but she was counted in the 1870 census as 2 years old.[5]
References edit
- ^ a b "The Death of Louise Allen". The New York Dramatic Mirror. November 20, 1909. p. 10.
- ^ Browne, Walter; Koch, E. De Roy, eds. (1908). Who's Who On the Stage. New York: B. W. Dodge & Co. pp. 11–12.
- ^ a b "Mrs. Collier Dies in New York Home". The Washington Times. November 10, 1909. p. 4.
- ^ a b Leonard, John W., ed. (1909). Who's Who in New York City and State. New York: L. R. Hamersly Co. p. 299.
- ^ a b "Louisa Allen in entry for John Allen, 1870". United States Census, 1870. Retrieved 15 June 2021 – via FamilySearch.
- ^ "Louise Allen in household of John Allen, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States". United States Census, 1880. Retrieved 15 June 2021 – via FamilySearch.
- ^ "New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1940," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:24HP-LB2 : 10 February 2018), William Movenus and Louisa Allen, 14 Mar 1892; citing Marriage, Manhattan, New York, New York, United States, New York City Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 1,452,284.
- ^ "Louise Allen". The Opera Glass. Vol. 1, no. 3. April 1894. pp. 45–46. hdl:2027/chi.56927689.
- ^ "First Wife a San Franciscan". The Wasp. June 18, 1910. p. 15.
- ^ Briscoe, Johnson (1907). The Actors' Birthday Book: An Authoritative Insight Into the Lives of the Men and Women of the Stage Born Between January 1 and December 31. New York: Moffat, Yard & Co. p. 133.
- ^ "Stage Favorites Mated". The Pittsburg Dispatch. April 2, 1892. p. 7.
- ^ "Mrs. "Willie" Collier Dies. Star Actress in Many Successful Plays Expires Suddenly". Watertown Leader. Watertown, Wisconsin. November 11, 1909. p. 7.
- ^ White, Matthew Jr. (November 1920). "The Stage". Munsey's Magazine. 71 (2): 318.
External links edit
Media related to Louise Allen at Wikimedia Commons- Louise Allen-Collier at the Internet Broadway Database
- Louise Allen at the Internet Broadway Database (partial conflation with Allen's niece of the same name)
