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Maud Evelyn Craven Jeffries (14 December 186926 September 1946) was an American actress. A popular subject for a wide range of theatrical post-cards and studio photographs, she was noted for her height,〔In fact, her original leading man, matinee idol Wilson Barrett, had to wear elevator shoes (see the photograph of Maud Jeffries as "Kate Cregeen" and Wilson Barrett as "Pete" in ''The Manxman''with Jeffries in bare feet and Barret (a) on raised ground and (b) wearing his elevator shoesat ())〕 voice, presence, graceful figure, attractive features, expressive eyes, and beautiful face. She married wealthy Australian grazier, Boer war veteran, and former aide-de-camp to New Zealand's Governor-General, James Bunbury Nott Osborne (1878-1934). Osborne was so enamoured of Jeffries that he joined her theatrical company in late 1903 in order to press his suit.〔(Langmore, D, "Jeffries, Maud Evelyn (1869–1946)", in Nairn, B., Pike, D., and Serle, G. (eds.) ''Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 9: 1891-1939 (Gil-Las)'', Melbourne University Press, (Carlton), 1983 ).〕 Engaged in May 1904, they married in October 1904, and had two children together (one of whom died as an infant). Jeffries left the stage in 1906, and continued to live a quiet, very happy life, devoted to her family and her beautifully designed gardens, on their family property, "Bowylie", at Gundaroo, NSW, until her death, at 76 years, of cancer. An audience favourite wherever she went,〔"Miss Maud Jeffries, that talented young American lady whose supreme merit is gradually entwining itself around the hearts of English playgoers" (Theatre Royal, ''The Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser'', (Tuesday, 3 October 1893), p.5).〕 Jeffries' performances over a decade in New York, London, Australia, and New Zealand met wide critical acclaim; especially in the role of Desdemona in Shakespeare's Othello and, in particular, for her creation of the role of Mercia in Wilson Barrett's masterpiece ''The Sign of the Cross''. On viewing Jeffries' performance (when just 20) as Almida in ''Claudian'', one critic observed: == Early life and family == Jeffries was born on 14 December 1869 at Willow Farm, near Lula in Coahoma County, Mississippi, to James Kenilworth Jeffries (1845-),〔In several official documents his family name was given as "Jeffreys"; also, note that, due to errors in reading entries in handwritten census records, "James K. Jeffries" has, often, been miss-transcribed as "James H. Jeffries".〕 a cotton planter, and his wife Elizabeth Field Jeffries, née Smith (1847-). She had three younger brothers: Henry (1872-), James K. jnr. (1875-), and Norman Weathers Jeffries (1877-1959).〔On 2 March 1916, when Norman applied for a passport (19264) -- his occupation was given as "Planter", and the stated object of his travel was "visit to sister" -- an application (19265) was also made for his wife Adeline L. Jeffries, born on 11 November 1887.〕 Norman went with his sister to Australia and New Zealand, as part of her theatre company, in 1897,〔("Society — Sailed Away: For Sydney", ''The San Francisco Call'', (Sunday, 14 November 1897), p.24 );(Wilson Barrett's Arrival'', ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', (Monday, 6 December 1897), p.5 ).〕 and remained with her company until she left the stage in 1906.〔(Amusements, ''The (Adelaide) Evening Journal'', (Friday, 4 May 1906), p.2 ); ("Gals' Gossip", ''(Brisbane) Truth'', (Sunday, 20 May 1906), p.6 ).〕 Initially educated at home, and originally intending to become a teacher, from the age of 13 she attended the prestigious Miss Higbee's School for Young Ladies in Memphis, Tennessee.〔"The Higby School took only the best girls from the best families in Memphis — not always the first families (as ) those with places at the Cotton Exchange on Front Street … but always the most respectable families …" (Livingston, 2013).〕 A change in her family's fortunes meant that a career as a teacher was no longer possible, and her family encouraged her to pursue an acting career.〔(Miss Maud Jeffries: Success of a Talented Southern Girl: After a Triumph in England She Goes to Australia to Support Wilson Barrett, ''The Seattle Post-Intelligencer'', (Sunday, 19 December 1897), p.22 ).〕 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「Maud Jeffries」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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