Eleanor Daniels

Eleanor Jane Daniels (28 December 1886 – 18 March 1994) was a Welsh stage and film actress whose career spanned Broadway, British theatre, silent film, and vocal coaching. Born in Llanarthney and raised in Llanelli, she was the daughter of David Daniels, a hay merchant and publican, and Margaret Daniels. At thirteen she claimed a prize at a local eisteddfod, and by 1907 she had won three National Eisteddfod chairs. Her formal acting training came through the Herbert Beerbohm Tree company.

Before emigrating, Daniels worked as a schoolteacher and performed in Welsh stage dramas in Great Britain. Her London credits included Change (1912 and 1913) and The Joneses (1913). She arrived in the United States in 1914 as part of a tour with the Welsh Players, appearing that same year in Change on the New York stage and in Kitty MacKay. She subsequently settled in the United States, where she pursued work in both theatre and silent film.

Her Broadway career extended from 1914 to 1933 and encompassed productions across multiple genres. Musical credits included Kitty Darlin' (1917), while her dramatic stage work included Ashes (1924), as well as the plays Far-Away Horses, The Lady Screams, and Diversion, among other productions. Additional stage roles during her American years included La La Lucille (1919 and 1920), The Beaten Track (1926), Juno and the Paycock (1926), Loyalty, Heart of the Heather, Zach, Lassies, and Rain. Her screen work included a role in the 1923 silent film If Winter Comes.

In later life Daniels worked as a vocal coach in New York and held an office position with a diabetes charity. She died on 18 March 1994 in Darien, Connecticut, at the age of 107. In 2011 a blue plaque honoring her was unveiled in Llanelli.