Bancroft, Marie

ACTOR, MANAGER (ENGLAND)
BORN 1839, Doncaster, South Yorkshire - DIED 22 May 1921, London
BIRTH NAME Wilton, Mary Effie
GRAVE LOCATION London: Brompton Cemetery, Old Brompton Road, West Brompton (E1)

Marie Wilton was the daughter of actors and entered the stage as a child. She was known as Affie and in 1856 she debuted in London at the Lyceum theatre. She played several boy parts and they made her popular with the public. She collaborated with Henry Byron at the Royal Strand Theatre for several years.

In 1865 she took over the management of the Prince of Wales's Theatre together with Henry Byron. They staged many successful comedies and in 1867 she married the theatre's leading actor Squire Bancroft. They often appeared on the stage together. In 1879 they took over the management of the Haymarket Theatre. In 1885 they both retired from the stage.

Marie wrote the novel "The Shadow of Neeme" (1912) and with her husband she published two volumes on their careers.

Family
• Husband: Bancroft, Squire (1867-1921)

Images

The grave of Squire Bancroft and Marie Bancroft at Brompton Cemetery, London.
Picture by Androom (27 May 2004)

 

Sources
• Crawford, Anne and others, The Europa Biographical Dictionary of British Women, Europa Publications Ltd, London, 1983
Find-A-Grave
Effie Bancroft - Wikipedia


Bancroft, Squire

Published: 01 Apr 2017
Last update: 25 Dec 2021