The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-17

name of the deceased actor being William
levin. When boy of thirteen he entered
the Royal English navy as a midshipman,
but the discipline Of the service proved too
much OF restraint and he forsook the navy
Tor tie merchant marine. Sailing for Aus
r9tda, he there followed many vocations
Successfully, was engineer, a bank clerk,
an employee of the Stock Exchange and in
tobacco and warehouses;. During this period
he was sort of Jack -of-all-trades-" But
MS restless spirit demanded further cnange
and he sailed for Calcutta, with the inten-
ton of joining his elder brother, Colonel
levin. in tea planting. 1t proved an event
cyclone at the mouth of the River Hooghly,
and all but four of the ships company were
lost. Terriss saved his life by swimming,
and his skill in the water often stood him
in good stead and won him two decorations
for saving life at sea- After six months of
tea planting in the Jungles OF Assam he re-
turned to England. He then decided to be-
come an actor. His first full-fiedged en-
gaSement was at Birmingham, where he
appeared in a subordinate part in the COM
pany of Nine. Celeste, but he soon sought
recognition in London, and his GOODNESS and
Mr Bancroft, who intrusted to him the
role of Lord Clanderags in Society"
after playing two years in London and
virtually succeeding to the position that had
been occupied by Harry Montague as the
society lover of the English stage, he
forsook the footlights and went wool gath
ering in a large sheep run in Falkland
islands. The propensity to rove was still
strong with him. The sheep venture was
a failure and he went back on the London
stage appearing at the Drury Lane Theater
In many important REVEALS. Now he began
10 snow talent for stronger class of parts
than h he had m With the offs
the diversion. was not sheep, but horses.
IN 1879 he went to Lexington, KY, to join
also he was stranded and he was forced to
make his way back to England
For the third time returning to the stage.
he settled down to hard work, soon ex-
f.
tracted the favorable notice of the London
press. When Henry Irving, in 1880, made
fls memorable revival of Romeo and
Juliet at the Lyceum Theater he invited
Mr. Terriss to play Mercutio. Then began
an association which continued with the
greatest profit to Irving and the greatest
eclat to Terriss for seven years. 1t was
during Mr.. Irving's first American tour
that Mr.. Terriss appeared on the stage in
this country. After leaving the Lyceum
company he played Romeo to the Juliet of
Miss Mary Anderson, at the Lyceum Thea
Ter Ter tE New YORK; for t two hundred nights.
and, save for occasional provincial and for
eign tours had since been supreme at the
Adelphi Theater, the leading melodramatic
house in London. recently leased by Charles
Frohman He was the idol of the Adelphi
pit. and long ago endeared himself. to the
sterling qualities as actor and man.
Miss Ellaline Terriss who in private life
Is Mrs: Seymour Hicks, IS his daughter.
pearing here in light opera and gaiety bur-
lesque. The roles in which William Terriss
appeared were almost without number. but
though of late years he has been identified
with melodrama, he had played Malcolm
Graeme in THE Lady of the Lake" OAR
court in THE Bellies Stratagem." Sir Ken
meth in Richard Occur de Lion. Fawley
Dedham in Crisis" Captain Absolute in
1.-THE Rivals Sydney Seton in Con
science Money and Captain Molyneux in
1.-THE Shaughraun." His last role. the one
he has been playing for some months, is the
one made famous in this country by VIII
liam Gillette in Secret Service