early 20C actresses

Sarah Z PHILLIPS, aged 23, is with her parents in Marylebone in 1901,
with occupation of Actress.

I'm mildly curious. Is there any list of (I presume I want minor)

Eve McLaughlin...

They will be included in playbills etc, of which there are two or three
large collections. The Theatre Museum holds all the trade papers, like
The Stage. The big problem is that very many actors m&F used
pseudonyms, and didn't stick to them consistently throughout their
careers. In earlier bills, they are often listed by surname only. So
Sarah Phillips (could be Z, but could be L of G etc.) may appear on the
bills as Miss Harrison, Miss De Vere, or Francesca Da Rimini.

actresses?

myths...

I appreciate all the replies, and the suggestions for where to look.

Chad Hanna...

I recall seeing a Who's Who of the Theatre in the Berkshire FHS research
centre. Ah, the library catalogue lists three editions:

Who's Who in the Theatre (1926) Parker, John Edition: 5th [1926]
Who's Who in the Theatre (1939) Parker, John Edition: 9th [1939]}
Who's Who in the Theatre (1947) Parker, John Edition: 10th [1947]

searching the web seems to indicate the first edition was in 1912 which may be a
little late for you. I may also be that Sarah Phillips would not have
graced its pages.

The Soc. of Genealogists also published "My Ancestor - Worked in the
Theatre" by Alan Ruston earlier this year. You can order it online from
Berkshire FHS or, I guess, from the Soc. of Genealogists :-)

myths...

Thanks for the suggestion. I had tried, but not found anything
obvious - which is why I think she was minor. (It is irritating not
knowing what the Z stands for, particularly as I've only seen it in
the 1901 census - it may be from a stage name.)

Hugh Watkins...

you better try the trade ppaers
especially

The Stage

at Colindale

Hugh W

Phil C....

I was lucky with one of mine (from that era but in America) to know
her stage name from a casual mention in a family letter - and that she
later used something very close to her real name. She toured with
various vaudeville companies so Ancestry turned up plenty of local
newspaper articles and adverts - and even some photos a few years
later.

For her sister, I've so far got no further than you have - one census
ref to her and her husband as actors living in Manhattan. Perhaps they
quickly gave up showbiz or perhaps I'd find loads of colourful info if
only I knew their stage names. Good luck.

Fenny...

Try searching the web for her. I discovered all kinds of info about an actor
linked to my family tree by googling for his name.