Elise Hamilton

Elise Hamilton (b. **/**/**** - d. **/**/****) was an actress. Occasionally credited as Elsie Hamilton or Tommie Hamilton.

Biography

In January 1919, South African Pictorial announced that the actresses to take the parts of the two rival queens in H. Lisle Lucoque’s film version of H. Rider Haggard’s Allan Quatermain (1919) had been selected. Mabel May, the wife of I.W. Schlesinger, was to play Nyleptha, the Fair Queen, and Elise Hamilton “from Pretoria” was to be Sorais, the Dark Queen. Popularly known as Tommie Hamilton, she had previously appeared on the stage in Mr. Manhattan (in Cape Town), Theodore & Co (1917), The Pink Lady and Arlette (both 1918) and was subsequently cast in the role of the tragic Isabel Clayton in Joseph Albrecht’s film Isban; or The Mystery of the Great Zimbabwe (1919), based on the novel by George H. Cossins. In addition she appeared in at least three more plays, namely Palace, Bedroom and Bath (1919) at His Majesty’s Theatre (with Edith Cartwright, Hilda Attenboro, Florence Roberts and Harcourt Collett also in the cast), Thumbs Up! (1920) and Look Who’s Here (1921). When she appeared in the revue The Jollity Seven (1921) at the Empire Palace, she was described as a soubrette and dancer. At this stage we have little idea of what became of her, but she may have attended St. Mary’s College. In 1914 a Miss E. Hamilton acted in The Princess Chrysanthemum presented in the Oddfellows’ Hall by the school’s pupils.

Sources

Stage & Cinema, 4 January 1919

Le Roux, André I. & Fourie, Lilla – Filmverlede: geskiedenis van die Suid-Afrikaanse speelfilm

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