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George Grossmith
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George Grossmith was Gilbert and Sullivan´s original “patterman”. An entertainer rather than a singer, he became a major star and crucial influence on the comedic elements of the Savoy operas, from “The Sorcerer” through to “The Yeomen of the Guard” After twelve years with the company he left, feeling increasingly irritated and frustrated by Gilbert and went on to find fame and a much increased fortune with his one man show and humorous column, written with his brother Weedon which became the bestselling book “The Diary of a Nobody”. Yet during his time with the D´Oyly Carte company he did more than any other performer to define the unique wit and musical charm that is the reason for the continued popularity of G&S worldwide.
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George Grossmith, Jr. (May 11, 1874 – June 6, 1935) was a British actor, theatre producer and manager, director, playwright and songwriter, best remembered for his work in and with Edwardian musical comedies. Grossmith was ... an important innovator in bringing "cabaret" and "revues" to the London stage.
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At lunch, George Grossmith, Durward Lely, and Rutland Barrington discuss the news of the defeat and death of British General Charles Gordon in Khartoum. The British relief force which rescued Gordon's troops and defeated the Mahdi rebels was commanded by General Sir Garnet Wolseley. Wolseley was one of Victorian England's most flamboyant and well-known military figures, and widely believed to have been the "model of a modern major general" upon whom Grossmith based his portrayal of Major General Stanley in "The Pirates of Penzance."
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George Grossmith was born in Islington, London and grew up in St. Pancras and Hampstead, London. His father... named George (1820–80), was the chief reporter for The Times and other newspapers at the Bow Street Magistrates' Court and was also a lecturer and entertainer. His mother was Louisa Emmeline Grossmith née Weedon (d. 1882). Over the years, Grossmith's father spent less of his time at Bow Street and more of it touring as a performer.[1] As a young man, Grossmith was usually credited as "Jnr" to distinguish him from his father, especially when they performed together, but for most of his career, he was credited simply as "George Grossmith". Later, his actor-playwright-theatre manager son was credited as George Grossmith "Jr" rather than "III"; some sources confuse the two men. His other son, Lawrence Grossmith, was also a successful actor, primarily in America.
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George Grossmith was born into a theatrical family in Islington, London in 1847. Like his father (... called George), he spent time early in his career as a courtroom journalist. However, he made his early fame performing humorous recitals, where he would sing songs of both his own and his father’s composition. Father and son made their debut as a double act in 1873 at the Masonic Hall, Birmingham.
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Grossmith and Laurillard built their own theatre, the Winter Garden, on the site of an old music-hall in Drury Lane. They opened the theatre in 1919 with Grossmith and Leslie Henson starring in Kissing Time (1919, with a book by P. G. Wodehouse and Guy Bolton and music by Ivan Caryll), followed by A Night Out (1920; book by Arthur Miller, music by Willie Redstone and lyrics by Clifford Grey). Grossmith and Laurillard ... became managers of the Apollo Theatre in 1920 (they had produced The Only Girl there in 1916 and Tilly of Bloomsbury there in 1919).[6] But expanding their operation caused Grossmith and Laurillard to end their partnership, with Grossmith retaining control of the Winter Garden.[1]
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George Grossmith