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Part of the American
History & Genealogy Project |
Ada C. Rehan 1859 ~ 1916
Ada C. Rehan
Miss Rehan is one of the most noted
artists of her adopted country. All of her honors having been
earned in the United States, Americans rank her among the
distinguished artists of this country. Miss Rehan was born in
Limerick, Ireland, April 22, 1859.
Her name is Crehan and was accidentally misspelled in a
telegram, when she adopted it as her stage name, and by it she
will ever be known. Her parents came to the United States in
1864, and settled in Brooklyn, where Ada was a pupil of the
common schools of that city until fourteen years of age. At this
time a company was playing Byron's "Across the Continent"
in Newark, New Jersey, and Ada was asked to take the place of
one of the members of the company who was ill. This was the
beginning of her professional career, as her family decided
after this performance to have her study for the stage. In 1874
she played in 'Thoroughbred'' in New York, hardly
winning notice. She then played in support of Edwin Booth,
Adelaide Neilson, John McCullough, Mrs. D. P. Powers, John T.
Raymond and Lawrence Barrett, playing Ophelia, Desdemona, Celia,
Olivia and other Shakespearean roles.
In 1878 while she was playing in "Katherine and Petruchio,"
in the city of Albany, New York, Augustin Daly met her and asked
her to join his company, and in 1879 she made her first
appearance in Daly's Theatre as Nellie Beers in "Love's
Young Dream" and Lou Ten Eyck in "Divorce."
She immediately took the position of leading lady, which she
held until Daly's death. In 1888 the Daly Company went to
England, where she achieved the most remarkable success on
record, it is stated, in London. She ranks as one of the most
intelligent and talented comedians of the age. Her best work has
been in the female Shakespearian roles.
Women of
America
Source: The Part Taken by Women in
American History, By Mrs. John A. Logan, Published by The Perry-Nalle
Publishing Company, Wilmington, Delaware, 1912.
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