May Waldron

May Waldron (born Mary Dougherty, November 1, 1861 or 1868 – December 22, 1924), and later known as May Waldron Robson, was a Canadian-born American actress.

May Waldron
May Waldron c. 1890
Born
Mary Waldron Dougherty

November 1, 1868 (some sources give 1861)
Hamilton, Ontario
DiedDecember 22, 1924
Louisville, Kentucky
NationalityCanadian, American
Other namesMay Waldron Robson
Occupationactress

Early life

Mary Waldron Dougherty was born in Hamilton, Ontario,[1] the daughter of William E. Dougherty, a newspaper publisher; she was raised in Chicago.[2] Her mother was an actress.[3] May Waldron also lived in Buffalo, New York as a young woman.[4]

Career

May Waldron began her career in Chicago, in operettas including H.M.S. Pinafore and The Pirates of Penzance.[3] Waldron's Broadway appearances included roles in Billy (1909), The Country Boy (1910-1911), The Woman Haters (1912), Cousin Lucy (1915), Ladies' Night (1920-1921), and Better Times (1922-1923). She also appeared in touring productions of The Merry Wives of Windsor[4] and She Stoops to Conquer,[5] and in different roles in The Henrietta (1887), in its original run and in its 1901-1902 revival.[6][7] Her ten film credits came in the silent films Vaccinating the Village (1914), Lured from Squash Center (1914), The Precious Twins (1914), At the Cross Roads (1914), The Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1916), The Gates of Gladness (1918), The Prodigal Wife (1918), The Lost Battalion (1919), His Bridal Night (1919), and A Broadway Saint (1919).

Waldron's weight was a matter of public comment. She was often described as "buxom",[4] or "stout".[8] She fasted for a month to lose weight for a part in 1889; one report compared Waldron to a circus performer and went into detail about her "reducing herself from a mountain of quivering adipose to a lithe, graceful figure, scarcely heavier than the average able bodied woman."[9]

Personal life

Waldron married actor Stuart Robson in 1891;[2][10] she was widowed when he died in 1903.[11] They had a son, Stuart Robson Jr. Waldron died suddenly from a stroke in 1924 in Louisville, Kentucky, aged near 60 years.[12][13]

References
  1. Leonard, John William; Marquis, Albert Nelson (1906). Who's who in America. Marquis Who's Who. p. 1258.
  2. "Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Robson". The New York Times. November 11, 1891. p. 8 – via ProQuest.
  3. "They Take Punch's Advice". The Boston Globe. March 2, 1891. p. 5. Retrieved May 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "May Waldron Robson Was a Carroll Street Beauty". The Buffalo Times. January 10, 1925. p. 14. Retrieved May 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Charming May Waldron". The Wilkes-Barre News. December 2, 1891. p. 3. Retrieved May 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Publications of the Dunlap Society. The Society. 1902. p. 127.
  7. "'The Henrietta', Again". The New York Times. April 16, 1889. p. 4 – via ProQuest.
  8. Fyle, Franklin (August 27, 1905). "Mesdames Robson and Collier". The Courier-Journal. p. 24. Retrieved May 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Famous May Waldron". The Topeka State Journal. October 30, 1889. p. 4. Retrieved May 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Stuart Robson Marries". The Times. November 11, 1891. p. 1. Retrieved May 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Stuart Robson is Dead". The New York Times. April 30, 1903. p. 9 – via ProQuest.
  12. "Mrs. Stuart Robson, Actress, Dies Suddenly at Louisville". The Indianapolis News. December 23, 1924. p. 33. Retrieved May 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Comedienne Expires in Louisville". The Cincinnati Enquirer. December 23, 1924. p. 7. Retrieved May 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
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