(November 11, 1872 - July 17, 1953)
Most famous for her portrayal of Peter Pan, Maude Adams was arguably the best actress of the early 1900s. The daughter of an actress, Maude was born in Salt Lake City, Utah on November 11, 1872. Her acting career began at age five, in a San Francisco production of Fritz, Our German Cousin. She continued working in theatre throughout her childhood.
Adams's New York debut came at the age of sixteen, working for various theatre stock companies. In 1889 she met Charles Frohman, a producer who is most credited with making her a star. Frohman got her cast in a series of plays he produced, including The Masked Ball and Rosemary with John Drew, Jr. Adams worked with Drew for five years, serving as the leading lady in a number of productions.
Her most famous works as an actress were in a series of plays written by J.M. Barrie, including The Little Minister, Quality Street, and What Every Woman Knows. In 1905 she originated the role of Barrie's Peter Pan on Broadway. The critical acclaim that she received for the play prompted her to reprise the role several times. This included several touring productions, one of which took stage at the Valentine Theater in Toledo in 1916.
Following a performance of A Kiss for Cinderella in 1916, Adams opted to retire from the stage. Although a number of film producers attempted to get her to make a comeback, Adams decided to focus on other projects instead. Between 1916 and 1929 she worked with General Electric, helping to develop better stage lighting equipment. The reasoning behind this career move was Adams's desire to play Peter Pan on screen in color, something that the technology of the time rendered impossible. Although the lamps she was helping to develop were eventually invented, she had lost film rights to Barrie's play by this point and gave up on the project.
Following that she took on a few Shakespearean roles for smaller, regional theatrical productions before finally accepting a position as the head of the drama department at Stephens College in Missouri. Adams remained a teacher until 1943 when she decided to retire permanently. At the age of eighty she succumbed to a bout with pleurisy. Adams died at her summer home in New York on July 17, 1953.
Resources
Fields, Armond. Maude Adams: Idol of American Theatre, 1872-1953. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2004.
There are not very many biographies on Adams, but this very well-written book is a great source of information.
"Maude Adams." Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maude_Adams 7 October 2007.
Wallechinksy, David. "Famous Stage Actress Biography of Maude Adams." Trivia-Library.com. http://www.trivia-library.com/a/famous-stage-actress-biography-of-maude-adams.htm 7 October 2007.
Short, but provides very good information on Adams and her life, both on stage and off.