Neilson, Adelaide

ACTOR (ENGLAND)
BORN 3 May 1848, Leeds, West Yorkshire: 35 St. Peters Square - DIED 15 Aug 1880, Paris: Bois de Boulogne
BIRTH NAME Brown, Elizabeth Ann
CAUSE OF DEATH internal hemorrhage
GRAVE LOCATION London: Brompton Cemetery, Old Brompton Road, West Brompton (Central Avenue No 5 West)

Adelaide Neilson was the daughter of an unmarried former actress. She worked in a clothe mill and as nursemaid before she ran away from home when she was fifteen years old. She went to London where she wored as a seamstress and as a barmaid at the Haymarket.

As Lilian Lessont she became a member of a ballet ensemble. In 1864 she married Philip Henry Lee, the son of a clergyman. In 1865 John Ryder trained her as an actress. As Adelaide Neilson she appeared on the stage in London and from 1872 onwards she was among the leading Shakespeare actresses of the time. She visited the USA several times.

In 1877 she divorced her husband. She suddenly died in 1880 during a carriage ride in the Bois the Boulogne in Paris of an internal haemorrhage. She left 2,000 pounds to her new fiancee, the actor Edward Compton. He used the money to start The Compton Comedy Company.

Related persons
• was pupil of Thorne, Sarah

Images

The grave of Adelaide Neilson at Brompton Cemetery, London.
Picture by Androom (13 May 2011)

 

Sources
Find-A-Grave
Adelaide Neilson - Wikipedia


Neilson, Julia

Published: 28 May 2011
Last update: 08 Mar 2022