Gabrielle Ray (28 April 1883 - 27 May 1972) was one of the most successful actresses of the Edwardian era, and became one of the most photographed women in the world. She was famous throughout Europe, and was described as "the most statuesque beauty that ever appeared on the English stage". Gabrielle Ray is one of my favourite Edwardian actresses, partly for her beauty, her interesting life, and that her birthplace is very near that of my family. Despite being extremely popular when young, after an unsuccessful marriage, Gabrielle Ray's life went swiftly downhill, ending in very tragic circumstances. I have included some photographs of her from different periods in life.Gabrielle Ray was born Gabrielle Elizabeth Clifford Cook near Stockport, England, and was one of six children. Ray first appeared in London's West End at the age of ten, and from then on became a successful actress of the English stage. As well as being a celebrated beauty, she became famous for her dancing; for example in The Orchid (1903) she danced in pink pajamas while singing, and in The Merry Widow (1907) her routine included handstands and high kicks, performed on a table held by four men. Ray's image was wanted by many, and she became one of the most photographed women in the world; her beauty viewed by millions through the relatively recent invention of picture postcards. Her sister, Gladys Raymond, was also an actress; she and Gabrielle performed together as the 'Sisters Ray'.
In 1912 Gabrielle Ray announced her retirement from the stage, and left to marry the wealthy Eric Loder. The marriage was an unhappy one and soon broke down; they divorced in 1914. The time was difficult for Ray, but she returned to the stage in '15, and took parts in two final plays in the West End. She occasionally appeared in pantomimes and minor plays, but by 1920 Ray had disappeared from the English stage; her previous fame was forgotten and she lived in obscurity, suffering from depression and alcohol abuse. In 1936 she had a severe mental breakdown and was institutionalized for nearly forty years. Gabrielle Ray died in 1973, at the age of 90, in Holloway Sanatorium. 
Your short piece about Miss Ray was interesting but a couple of facts need addressing, she was one of six children from the union between William and Annie Cook but Annie had a further three children with Joseph F. Kellas Johnstone; Keller Johnstone was cited in the Cook's divorce in 1893.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that Miss Ray's sister, Gladys also performed under the name of Gladys Raymond and married into the Churchill family, sadly she also died in a psychiatric hospital. They also performed together as the "Sisters Ray" but the information is clouded by another act with the same name.
Your picture of Lily Elsie (Elsie) with Roy Sambourne was taken during the Whitsun of 1906
Thankyou very much for your comments and corrections - I shall amend my post as soon as possible. I find it quite difficult to chose what facts to believe, for there is a lot of conflicting information on the internet. I have not heard of Gladys - thankyou for all the information; very interesting and much appreciated!
DeleteI agree there is a lot of conflicting information, mainly because she was a very private person and her family continue to protect her privacy. One of the main problems is that Wikipedia publishes something and it becomes fact regardless of the degree of research. There seems to be plenty of news cutting for the main part of acting career but very little afterwards, her exhusband Eric Loder also seems to have been a private person or perhaps news papers were more respectful of an individual's privacy then.
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