Hubert Druce

Hubert Druce, born Benjamin Hubert Druce on May 20, 1870, in Twickenham, Middlesex, England, was an English actor and producer whose career in English and American theater spanned more than forty years. He made his stage debut at the age of seventeen in Scotland, appearing in The Blue Bells of Scotland. Two years later, his performance as the Gryphon in Alice in Wonderland caught the attention of Richard Mansfield, who brought him to the United States. Druce first appeared on the American stage in 1889 at Palmer's Theatre, subsequently joining the touring company of The Sign of the Cross.

Following work in productions across both New York and London, Druce returned to New York in 1912 for The Perplexed Husband and continued performing throughout the United States in the years that followed. His Broadway career extended from 1902 to 1931 and included appearances in The Admirable Crichton, Marseilles, Topaze, Freddy, and Uncle Vanya, among other productions. Beyond the stage, he portrayed John Hammond in the 1918 silent film My Wife.

In his personal life, Druce was previously married to actress Edith Ogilby Berg; the two divorced in 1905. He later married again and was survived by his wife and two children at the time of his death.

Druce fell ill while performing in The Admirable Crichton in March 1931 and died of pneumonia in New York on April 6, 1931, at the age of sixty.