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:''For a different actress with a similar name, see Edna May Oliver'' Edna May Pettie (September 2, 1878 – January 1, 1948), known on stage as Edna May, was an American actress and singer. A popular postcard beauty, May was famous for her leading roles in Edwardian musical comedies. == Life and career == May was born in Syracuse, New York to Edger and Cora Pettie. Her father was a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier. Her surname at birth was spelled ''Pettie'', but the family later changed the name, by the 1880 census, to ''Petty''. Her siblings were Edelbert, Jennie and Marguerite.〔Pascoe, Charles L. (Edna May milestones ) at the Edna May website (2009)〕 At the age of 5, she played Little Willie Allen in a production of ''Dora''. The next year, her performances "charmed a number of audiences lately with her child voice".〔"A Festival To-Morrow Night", ''The Syracuse Standard'', June 1, 1885. See also: "In the Church of Christ", ''The Syracuse Standard'', March 25, 1885, praising her singing of "Cuckoo Song" at a benefit in the church.〕 By the age of 7, she had joined a children's opera company and performed Gilbert and Sullivan productions in Syracuse. She studied music at the New York Conservatoire as a teenager.〔"Studying Vocals in New York", ''The Sunday Herald'', May 5, 1895〕 May made her professional debut in 1895 in ''Si Stebbings'' in Syracuse. She then moved to New York to take the small role of Clairette in Oscar Hammerstein's Broadway show, ''Santa Maria''.〔("Olympia Theatre Opened; ''Santa Maria'', by Oscar Hammerstein, Done in a Showy Way", ) ''The New York Times'', September 25, 1896, p. 3.〕 That year, she married Fred Titus, who held a world record for cycling. They had no children and divorced in 1904.〔 In 1897, May played Violet Grey in ''The Belle of New York'' with only moderate success. The following year, the production played in London, becoming a hit and running for 697 performances, making May a star. After that, among others, she played Gabrielle Dalmonte in ''An American Beauty'' in London (1900), Olga in ''The Girl from Up There'' (1901) in New York and then London, Edna Branscombe in ''Three Little Maids'' (1902), Lillian Leigh in ''The School Girl'' (1903–1904) in London and New York, Say-So-San in ''The Darling of the Guards'' (1904) in London,〔Culme, John. ("Postcard of the week" ), Footlight Notes, 18 April 2009, accessed 13 February 2013, quoting "The Darling of the Guards", ''The Illustrated London News'', 27 February 1904〕 Alesia in ''La Poupée'' (1904) in London, and Angela in ''The Catch of the Season'' (1905) in New York. ''The Belle of Mayfair'' followed in London in 1906. May played the title character in ''Nelly Neil'' in London in 1907. May was known for her beauty and received tremendous attention from male admirers. She was involved in a passionate but failed relationship with Prince Raj Narayan Bahadur (of the erstwhile kingdom of Cooch Behar in India) but could not marry him due to his parent's disapproval as she did not belong to one of India's royal families. Finally, in 1907, she agreed to marry millionaire Oscar Lewisohn and retired from the stage. The couple settled in England. They had no children, and Lewisohn died in 1917.〔 May lived at Winkfield in Berkshire during her retirement, but made brief returns to the stage in 1911 benefit performances of ''The Belle of New York'' at the Savoy Theatre in London and 1915's ''The Masque of Peace and War'' in London. Also in 1911, she appeared in the film ''Forgotten; or An Answered Prayer''. She starred in a 1916 film called ''Salvation Joan'', donating the proceeds to charity.〔("Edna May Returns as a Movie Star" ). ''The New York Times, 10 April 1916, accessed 13 October 2010〕 She died in Lausanne, Switzerland, at the age of 69. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Edna May」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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