Gerald Lawrence

Gerald Lawrence (1873-1957)[1] was a British actor-manager, film actor and director, and playwright.

Biography

Born Gerald Leslie Lawrence on March 23, 1873 in London.

Well known for the films Captain Nighthawk (1914), Enoch Arden (1914) and The Harbour Lights (1914).

He was married to Madge Compton, Fay Davis and Lilian Braithwaite.

Contribution to South African theatre

In the period 1897-1898: He and William Haviland brought their Haviland and Lawrence Shakespearian & Dramatic Company to South Africa. Among his performances included were roles in Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing.

In 1929 Lawrence, now also known as a film actor, once again visited South Africa as actor-manager of a West End theatre company, under the auspices of African Theatres Ltd. putting on a repertoire of plays that included Monsieur Beaucaire, The School for Scandal, David Garrick, 13, Simon Street and Beau Brummel. The tour started in Johannesburg and then visited Port Elizabeth, East London, Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Pretoria, Bulawayo, Salisbury, Pietermaritzburg and ended in Durban.

Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Lawrence

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0492774/?ref_=nm_ov_bio_lk4

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beau_Brummell

Robert Kay. 2011. "Gerald Lawrence, Elgar and the missing Beau Brummel Music", The Elgar Society Journal: pp.4-28[2]

http://www.elgar.org/3brummel.htm

The S.A. Merry-Go-Round, 2(4):28. August 21st, 1929.

Correspondence from Robert Kay of Acuta Music[3], Monday 13 July, 2015.

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