Lillian Kemble

Not to be confused with Lillian Kemble-Cooper.
Lillian Kemble

Lillian Kemble (née Schmidt) (fl. 1900–1922) was an American stage and silent film actress. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,[1][a] to Karl (Carl) Schmidt, a German immigrant comedian and theatre manager, she made her first stage appearance at the age of 10, performing in German and English. She made her English-language debut at the Lyceum Theatre in Denver, and worked in several stock companies throughout the country. She made a name for herself on Broadway starring in George Broadhurst's 1906 original The Man of the Hour.[3][4][5] She was leading lady for two seasons with the Castle Square Theatre company in Boston before joining the Poli Theatre Company in Washington, D.C.[1][6] She also appeared in silent films, including a chief supporting role in The House of Mirrors (1916) with Frank Mills.[7]

In 1898 she married the actor-singer Will S. Rising.[8][5] They divorced in 1905, and a year later Kemble was co-respondent in the divorce case of fellow actor Charles D. Mackay and Georgie Elliott Porter, daughter of novelist Linn Boyd Porter.[9] Kemble and Mackay were married shortly afterwards.[10][11]

  1. ^ a b Whaley, Cady (August 3, 1907). "Lillian Kemble Talks of Her Work and Ideals". The Billboard. Vol. 19, no. 31. p. 5.
  2. ^ Motion Picture Studio Directory and Trade Annual. New York City: Motion Picture News, Inc. 1917. p. 100.
  3. ^ Briscoe, Johnson (1907). The Actors' Birthday Book. Moffat, Yard. p. 97.
  4. ^ "Final performance at Smith's tonight of great American production, The Man of the Hour". The Bridgeport Evening Farmer. 9 January 1909. p. 4.
  5. ^ a b "Miss Kemble Going". Daily Inter Mountain. Butte, Montana. 26 May 1900. p. 15.
  6. ^ "Complete Roster New Poli Players; Headed by Charles Mackey and Lillian Kemble, Company has Many New Faces". The Washington Times. 15 November 1914. p. 14.
  7. ^ "Miss Lillian Kemble, imported from the stage, who makes her bow as a Mutualite in the chief supporting role to Frank Mills in The House of Sorrows". Motography. Vol. 16, no. 10. September 2, 1916. p. 568.
  8. ^ "Marriage Licenses". The San Francisco Call. October 28, 1898. p. 11.
  9. ^ "Beautiful actress a co-respondent. The daughter of a Boston author seeks a divorce from her actor husband". The Hawaiian Star. October 17, 1906. p. 6.
  10. ^ "Will marry Miss Kemble". The Cambridge Chronicle. January 26, 1907. p. 18.
  11. ^ "Carl Schmidt and wife visiting Daeufer home". The Allentown Leader. October 5, 1912. p. 7.


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