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William Jermyn Florence

1911 Encyclopedia Britannica

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WILLIAM JERMYN FLORENCE (1831-1891), American actor, of Irish descent, whose real name was Bernard Conlin, was born on the 26th of July 1831 at Albany, N T .Y., and first attracted attention as an actor at Brougham's Lyceum in 1851. Two years later he married Mrs Malvina Pray Littell ( d. 1906), in association with whom, until her retirement in 1889, he won all his successes, notably in Benjamin Woolf's The Mighty Dollar,. ' said to have been presented more than 2500 times. In 1856 they had a successful London season, Mrs Florence being one of the first American actresses to appear on the English stage. In 1889 Florence entered into partnership with Joseph Jefferson, playing Sir Lucius O'Trigger to his Bob Acres and Mrs John Drew's Mrs Malaprop on a very successful tour. His last appearance was with Jefferson on the 14th of November 1891, as Ezekiel Homespun in The Heir-at-law, and he died on the 18th of November in Philadelphia.