Julia Marlowe

Lore & Background

In early 1891, Marlowe came down with a severe case of typhoid fever while on tour in Philadelphia. The owner of the Philadelphia Times newspaper and his wife took her in, and at one point her face became so swollen that doctors considered lancing it, but one doctor's judgment prevailed, saving her face for her acting career. She made her Broadway debut in 1895 and appeared in more than seventy Broadway productions. With the money from her first Broadway success, she bought the townhouse known as River Mansion at 337 Riverside Drive. By 1897 she was featured in the Sears catalog endorsing a ladies boot. Her first husband was Broadway actor Robert Taber; their marriage lasted from 1894 to 1900 and produced no children. Professional jealousy ended the marriage. In 1901 and a 1904 revival, she starred as Mary Tudor in When Knighthood Was in Flower, an enormous success that made her financially independent. In 1904, she began an extremely successful partnership with actor E. H. Sothern, appearing in Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, and Hamlet. They toured the U.S., adding The Taming of the Shrew, The Merchant of Venice, and Twelfth Night in 1905. Unhappy with their compensation from manager Charles Frohman, they continued under the Shubert Brothers, receiving a percentage of profits. They married in 1911. The couple made eleven phonograph recordings for the Victor company in 1920–1921, presumably the only recorded evidence of Marlowe's voice today. After more touring, Marlowe retired in 1924 due to failing health. After Sothern's death in 1933, she became somewhat of a recluse. She received honorary doctorates from George Washington University in 1923 and Columbia University in 1943. Marlowe died on November 12, 1950, in New York City, aged 85, with no children.

Reader's Guide

Julia Marlowe's significance lies in her rise from an immigrant childhood to become a leading American Shakespearean actress of her day, alongside E. H. Sothern. Her career, spanning from the 1880s to the 1920s, helped popularize Shakespeare in the United States through affordable touring productions and special performances for schoolchildren. She was also highly engaged as a feminist, fighting for women's right to vote. Her legacy includes eleven phonograph recordings made with Sothern, which are presumably the only recorded evidence of her voice. Her financial independence, achieved through stage successes like When Knighthood Was in Flower, and her willingness to sacrifice for her first husband's career, illustrate the complexities of her personal and professional life. Her honorary doctorates from George Washington University and Columbia University reflect her cultural impact.

Did You Know?

• She was born Sarah Frances Frost and changed her name to Julia Marlowe after voice training.
• Her father fled England under the erroneous impression that he had destroyed a neighbor's eye by flicking a whip during a race.
• She made eleven phonograph recordings for the Victor company in 1920–1921, the only recorded evidence of her voice.
• She received an honorary doctorate from George Washington University in 1923 and another from Columbia University in 1943.