Ethel, Agnes

Ethel, Agnes (1853–1903), actress. Briefly one of the most popular and promising of American performers, she trained with Matilda Heron and made her debut in New York in 1868, playing Heron's most famous role, Camille. Ethel's performance caught the attention of Augustin Daly, who enlisted her as a member of his first Fifth Avenue Theatre ensemble. She portrayed Rosie Farquhere in the opening attraction, Play (1869). “What the audience saw,” Daly's biographer wrote, “was a slender figure, candid eyes, flowing auburn hair, an oval face, and regular features always lit up by an expression of childish appeal.” She scored her biggest success at Daly's as the spoiled child bride Gilberte in Frou‐Frou (1870). Her success led her to refuse several roles, so Daly thereafter rarely cast her but lent her to his father‐in‐law, James C. Duff, to play Med, the gun‐toting “Wild Flower of the Plains,” in Horizon (1871), which furthered her popularity. Ethel then moved to the rival Union Square Theatre, winning applause in the title role of Agnes (1872). However, her rejection of subsequent parts led to her dismissal, and she retired when she married in 1873.