Robson, Eleanor (Elise)

Robson, Eleanor [Elise] (1879–1979), actress. Born in England, she was brought to America as a child by her mother, who had remarried after her father's death and who acted under the name of Madge Carr Cook. After graduating from a seminary on Staten Island in 1897, she went to join her mother, who was playing in San Francisco, and found herself thrust on stage to replace an ailing performer in Men and Women. Robson played in stock for several seasons before creating the role of Bonita in Arizona (1899). Impressed by her great beauty and fine acting, George C. Tyler cast her as Constance in Browning's In a Balcony (1900) and she remained under Tyler's aegis for the rest of her career. Among her memorable interpretations were her Juliet in 1903 and her Kate Hardcastle in 1905, but she is best recalled for her sweet‐natured, innocent drudge Mary Ann in Merely Mary Ann (1903). She retired after her marriage to August Belmont III, becoming a celebrated socialite and philanthropist. In the latter capacity she was long associated with the Metropolitan Opera. Autobiography: The Fabric of Memory, 1957.