Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-08
AN HEREDITARY PROFESSION.
Many Families That Have Followed
the Stage for Generations.

the Stage for Generations.
From the Chicago Tribune.
In no other line of human endeavor are
so many men and women born into the
business as in the theater In statecraft
we have had the Older as we have the
younger Gladstone, the younger and the
older Pitt. the younger and the older
Choate and others. Law has given Us ex-
amples of the working out Of the law of
heredtty and environment in the formation
in the son OF capacity for the work that has
distinguished his father. Art has had It's
two Burne-Joneses and other ulUstrioUs
names, but none OF these professions or an
of them can show the astonishingiy large
number of cases in which the call Of the
stage has been answered by different gen
erations in the same family.
The stage has a people all its own. 1t
has been so from the beginning.
Edmund I<ean, that fiery little tragedIan
at whom London laughed first and yielded
afterward. had son, Charles Kean, who
was t1ne actor. The two often played to-
gether In tragic moments when they were
on the stage together the elder was so un-
affected by the theory that actor must
feel what he portrays that he looked
upon the countless wet eyes In the audience
he would whisper to his son. Charlie. my
Joseph Jefferson boys have taken up
their fathers work This year Thomas JEFF
ferson had a fairly successful season as
Bob Acres and old Rip The Drews have
been distinguished the American stage
since the first. The marriage of the bril-
liant Georgia Drew to the equally brilliant
Maurice Barrymore gave us those three
players-Ethel, Lionel and john Barrymore
who possess more ability than any other
three members of any one family now be-
fore the footlghts.
The greatest actor the American stage
has seen--Edwin Booth--had an actor for
father. This father never took Edwin'S
acting seriously. lie let the boy dress him
for the stage and carried him about the
country with him, but often warned him
against adopting the stage as a profession.
John Wilkes Booth, who killed President
Lincoln, was Edwlns brother and a good
actor. His middle name. Wilkes" was
that of q distinguished family of actors.
one member of which is still on the Ameri-
can stage. This is Ernest Wilkes.
In light form of entertainment we have
the Cohan family. Jerry Conan, the father,
Is an actor of considerable ability. He and
his wife play in the company Of their tai
ented son George. The sister of George
Conan has been wonderfully successful In
vaudeville, although she used to be MEM
Der OF her brothers comedy companies.
Her husband IS Fred Niblo, monoog1st.
Mrs. George Cohan, whose stage name Is
Ethel Levy, also IS clever.
In vaudeville there is another entire FAM
lIy-the heatGnS-tflat mas haG success.
Eleanor Robson. who wanted to be an
artist, went upon the stage so that she
might be near her mother, Mrs. Madge Carr
Cook, who as a character actress did splen-
did work in Mrs Wigs OF the Cabbage
Patch" Henry ITving's son, Laurence Ir-
wing, is a clever actor. as 10 John Hare )
son Henry f. DlXey, called by many the
best character actor on the American stage.
has a daughter. Mabel DiXey, in whom are
found many OF the fine acting abilities OF
her father. This season she has been play
ing in Texas a western play that IS not
half so wild as It's name
Lillian RUsselis daughter Dorothy Rus
sell, has played with considerable success
in vaudeville. She mas inherited a good
voice ard her mothers dramatic instinct.
Sarah Bernhardt's son, Maurice Bernhardr,
has acted a little and has ability, though
his lncinations run to literary work. Max
Inc Ellotrs sister. Gertrude Elliott, has
not only much Of her sisters beauty. but
considerable of her acting powers. Size IS
the wife of Forbes Robertson. the English
actor-manager, and acts with him.
julia Dean. a young actre IS who has won
high praise in New York this winter has m
herited her ability from her mother, VINO
bore the same name and who WAS one or
the foremost actresses on the American
stage a quarter OF a century ago
There are almost countless examples Of
communion Or tastes in acting between nus
bands and wives. and 1t is only natural that
their talents should descend 10 their chill
dren.
Mr.. and Mrs bancroft. Mr. and Mrs
Kendall, James K. Hackett and his wife.
Mary Mannering; r. II. Sothern and his
wife Virginia Harmed; Louis Mann and his
wife Clara Lipman; Tim Murphy and
his wife, Dorothy Sherrod are only few
of them.
Mr.. Sothern comes naturally by his great
talents. His father was the famous actor
who created Lord Dundreary" and other
stage types James X Haci1ett's father
played a Falstafe by which all succeeding
Falstaifs on the stage of this country have
Lob 1r~t,. 10
came a star this season IN George AIDE
Just Out of College inherits his love for
the stage and much OF his ability from his
father, who was an actor. Richard Mans&
helds mother was a musician. and Mr..