Alison Skipworth

Alison Skipworth, born Alison Mary Elliott Margaret Groom on 25 July 1863 in London, England, was an English stage and screen actress whose career spanned more than four decades on both sides of the Atlantic. She died on 5 July 1952. The daughter of Dr. Richard Ebenezer Groom and Elizabeth Rodgers, Skipworth received a private education before pursuing a life in the theatre. In 1882 she married Frank Markham Skipworth, an artist for whom she modeled; the marriage later ended in divorce.

Skipworth's stage career began at Daly's Theatre in London in 1894, where she appeared in A Gaiety Girl. The following year she made her first American appearance at the Broadway Theatre in New York City, performing in the light opera An Artist's Model, in which she served as understudy to Marie Tempest. After returning briefly to London for two productions, she resettled permanently in the United States. She joined Daniel Frohman's company at the Lyceum Theatre, making her debut there in 1897 as Mrs. Ware in The Princess and the Butterfly. Her Broadway career extended from 1899 through 1942 and encompassed productions including Cafe de Danse, Lily of the Valley, First Stop to Heaven, When We Are Married, 30 Days Hath September, The Torch-Bearers, The Swan, The Enchanted April, The Grand Duchess and the Waiter, Mrs. Dane's Defence, and Marseilles, among others.

During the 1905 and 1906 seasons, Skipworth toured with Viola Allen in three Shakespearean productions: Cymbeline, Twelfth Night, and As You Like It. In subsequent years she performed alongside prominent theatre figures including James K. Hackett and John Drew, Jr.

Skipworth entered film in 1912, appearing in A Mardi Gras Mix-Up as well as The Pilgrimage, Into the Jungle, and A Political Kidnapping that same year. Her first sound film was Strictly Unconventional in 1930. She became particularly associated with W. C. Fields, appearing opposite him as his foil in four films: If I Had a Million (1932), Tillie and Gus (1933), Alice in Wonderland (1933), and Six of a Kind (1934). Her screen work continued through 1938 and included supporting roles in The Casino Murder Case, The Girl from 10th Avenue, King of the Newsboys, Wide Open Faces, and Ladies in Distress.