Marie Jansen | |
|---|---|
 Jansen as Angelina in The Lion Tamer, c. 1892 | |
| Born | Harriet Mary Johnson November 18, 1857 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | March 20, 1914 (aged 56) Winthrop, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation | Musical theatre actress |
Marie Jansen (born Harriet Mary Johnson;[1] November 18, 1857 – March 20, 1914[2]) was an American musical theatre actress best known for her roles at the end of the 19th century. She starred in a number of successful comic operas, Edwardian musical comedies, and comic plays in New York, Boston, Philadelphia and London during the 1880s and 1890s.
After gaining notice for her role in the American production of Olivette (1880), she became known for her performances in the title role of the original American production of Iolanthe (1882), in the long-running comic opera Erminie (1886), the title roles in Featherbrain (1884) and Nadjy (1888), and her role in The Oolah (1889). Later in her career, she performed in vaudeville and formed her own touring theatre company. Jansen ran into financial difficulties, by the late 1890s, partly due to losses as a producer, that left her in reduced circumstances for the remainder of her life.
- ^ "Made $500,000, Marie Jansen Went Through It All", Lowell Sun, Lowell, Massachusetts, June 2, 1904, p. 11
- ^ At her death, The New York Times reported that Jansen was 65 years old: "Marie Jansen Dies at 65", The New York Times, March 21, 1914, p. 13. However, in the 1870 census, Hattie Johnson, age 12, is listed as the daughter of Benjamin and Harriet Johnson, Boston, Massachusetts, which puts the year of Jansen's birth as 1857. In her US Passport application, May 5, 1891, Jansen listed her date of birth as November 18, 1863, so we identify her birth month and day as November 18.