Malvina_Pray_Florence

Malvina Pray Florence

Malvina Pray Florence

American dancer and comic actress (1830–1906)

Malvina Pray Florence (April 19, 1830–February 18, 1906) was an American dancer and comic actress.[1][2] She was the first American comic actress to play on the English stage.[3]

Malvina Pray Florence

Biography

Born as Anna Theresa Pray on April 19, 1830, in New York City, United States, Malvina Pray Florence was the daughter of Samuel Pray and his wife, Anna Lewis.[4] She studied dancing with Madame Dagarden. She professionally adopted the name Malvina. She began her career as a dancer during the mid-1840s in various New York theaters including the Olympic, Castle Carden, Vauxhall Carden, and Greenwich.[2]

At the age of sixteen, she was married to actor Joseph Littell, which ended in divorce in 1846.[2][4] In 1853 she married William Jermyn Florence, American actor, with whom she entered upon a long period of starring. Both are known for specializing Irish comedies. She often appeared on the stage as a Yankee to him Irishman.[5] She also played Mrs. Gilflory opposite him in Woolf's play, the Mighty Dollar.[6][7]

She had a four-decade-long career as a comedienne touring the United States and Great Britain, becoming the first American comedienne to perform in Europe beginning in 1856.[8]

She also performed in different plays such as The Yankee Gal (1853), Ireland As It Is and Woman's Wrong, Dombey and Son (1862), The Ticket-of-Leave Man (1863), and Our Governor (1885).[9][4]

James claims that she was a dancer extraordinaire.[3] In 1889 she announced her retirement.[2][4]

She died on February 18, 1906, in New York City, United States.[citation needed]

References

  1. [1]
    Sobel, Bernard (1948). The Theatre Handbook and Digest of Plays. New York City: Crown Publishers. p. 352. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  2. [2]
    Radcliffe College (1971). Notable American Women, 1607–1950: A Biographical Dictionary, Band 2. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 634. ISBN 978-0-674-62734-5. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  3. [3]
    James, Henry (May 3, 2011). A Small Boy and Others: A Critical Edition. Charlottesville, Virginia: University of Virginia Press. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-813-93089-3. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  4. [4]
    "Florence, Malvina Pray (1830–1906)". encyclopedia.com. encyclopedia.com. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  5. [5]
    Wilson, Scott (August 22, 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 247. ISBN 978-0-786-47992-4. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  6. [6]
    Marra, Kim (2009). Strange Duets: Impresarios and Actresses in the American Theatre, 1865–1914. Iowa City, Iowa: University of Iowa Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-587-29741-0. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  7. [7]
    Fisher, James (April 16, 2015). Historical Dictionary of American Theater: Beginnings. Washington, DC: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 172. ISBN 978-0-810-87833-4. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  8. [8]
    Mullenneaux, Nan (December 1, 2018). Staging Family: Domestic Deceptions of Mid-Nineteenth-Century American Actresses. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press. p. N.A. ISBN 978-1-496-21089-0. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  9. [9]
    Bordman, Gerald (May 6, 2004). The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. p. 232. ISBN 978-0-199-77115-8. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
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