GILBERT, MRS. GEORGE HENRY

(1821-1904)

Born Anne Hartley in London, England, thecharacter actressbegan as a dancer in thecorps de balletat Her Majesty's and Drury Lane Theatres. In 1846, she married dancer George Henry Gilbert, and three years later, they immigrated to America. By 1851, they were performing with a Chicago company. In 1861, she played Lady Macbeth oppositeEdwin Boothduring his briefengagementin Louisville. After her New York debut in 1864, Mrs. Gilbert's career as a performer ofeccentricwoman roles became well established, marred only by the death of her husband in 1867. From 1869 until her death, with only a three-year hiatus (1877-1880), she acted inAugustinDaly's company in New York, becoming familiarly known as "Grandma Gilbert." Her memoir,The Stage Reminiscences of Mrs. Gilbert, was published in 1901.