Faucit, Helen(a) Saville

The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre | 1996 | 700+ words | Copyright

Faucit, Helen(a) Saville (1817–98), English actress, trained by Percival Farren, great-uncle of Nellie Farren. A woman of great charm and beauty, she did her best work in revivals of Shakespeare and in new verse plays, many of them specially written for her. She first appeared in the provinces in 1833, and in 1836 made her début in London as Julia in Sheridan Knowles's The Hunchback. A year later she was seen in Browning's poetic drama Strafford and then had a great success in one of her best parts, Pauline in Bulwer-Lytton's The Lady of Lyons (1838), playing opposite Macready. She was also in Browning's A Blot in the 'Scutcheon (1843) and Colombe's Birthday (1853). Her finest Shakespearian roles were Juliet, Portia in The Merchant of Venice, and Desdemona in Othello. In later life she acted almost entirely for charity and became the friend and guest of Queen Victoria.

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PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Faucit, Helen(a) Saville." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Faucit, Helen(a) Saville." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-FaucitHelenaSaville.html

PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Faucit, Helen(a) Saville." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-FaucitHelenaSaville.html

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