Leighton was born in Islington in London as Lilian Caroline Augusta Rickard, the youngest of three children of William Henry Rickard, a parliamentary agent, and Fanny Harriett Rickard.[1] In 1881 her mother and sister were recorded as actresses living in London's theatre district off The Strand,[2] and Leighton started to become known as a child star. Her tall stately appearance, hourglass figure and auburn hair gained her starring roles. In 1898 Leighton married a surgeon, William Hotten George; he was ten years older than her and was dead by 1908. By this time Leighton had a successful stage career in London.
Leighton went on tour but whilst appearing as Sinbad in Bradford she had an accident, falling off a stage whale during the performance. She recovered but did not continue to play the leads at Drury Lane afterwards.
In 1911 Leighton met young music hall manager Frederick Charles Cockerill (1882–1953); at the start of the 1914-18 War Cockerill received a commission in the Artists' Rifles and in 1915 he and Leighton married.[5]
Leighton was one of the many stage artists who came under pressure to recruit soldiers through their performances with much emphasis on the patriotic aspect of their songs such as I'll Make a Man Out of You. Leighton was reported to have followed up her act at the Royal Hippodrome, Dover, with a tour of the town depositing 'half a dozen young recruits at Dover town hall'.[6] Cockerill was injured and returned to his home town of Northampton where Leighton continued her recruiting work from The New Theatre, Northampton in 1918.[7]
During World War I Leighton appeared in the silent film Screen Struck (1916), but she was not a success and her career began to fail from this time. Her second and final film was Under the Greenwood Tree (1929).[8]
Leighton died in Farnworth in Lancashire in 1943. She did not have any children from either of her marriages.
Referencesedit
^London, England, Births and Baptisms, 1813-1906 for Lilian Caroline Augusta Rickard (1874) - Ancestry.com
^1881 England Census for Lillian Rickard - Ancestry.com
^Moore, Michael F. Drag!: Male and Female Impersonators on Stage, Screen and Television: An Illustrated World History McFarland & Company Incorporated (1994) pg 47
queenie, leighton, july, 1874, november, 1943, british, music, hall, star, edwardian, 1906leighton, born, islington, london, lilian, caroline, augusta, rickard, youngest, three, children, william, henry, rickard, parliamentary, agent, fanny, harriett, rickard,. Queenie Leighton 18 July 1874 19 November 1943 was a British music hall star of the Edwardian era Queenie Leighton c 1906Leighton was born in Islington in London as Lilian Caroline Augusta Rickard the youngest of three children of William Henry Rickard a parliamentary agent and Fanny Harriett Rickard 1 In 1881 her mother and sister were recorded as actresses living in London s theatre district off The Strand 2 and Leighton started to become known as a child star Her tall stately appearance hourglass figure and auburn hair gained her starring roles In 1898 Leighton married a surgeon William Hotten George he was ten years older than her and was dead by 1908 By this time Leighton had a successful stage career in London Queenie Leighton as Principal Boy c 1906 She was a much loved principal boy in a number of Drury Lane theatre pantomimes Women dressed in drag were becoming fashionable in the Edwardian theatre and Leighton was a popular artist in this genre 3 She appeared as Prince Charming Dick Whittington Sinbad Aladdin and in other musical plays 4 In 1901 she appeared as Dona Teresa in The Toreador Leighton went on tour but whilst appearing as Sinbad in Bradford she had an accident falling off a stage whale during the performance She recovered but did not continue to play the leads at Drury Lane afterwards In 1911 Leighton met young music hall manager Frederick Charles Cockerill 1882 1953 at the start of the 1914 18 War Cockerill received a commission in the Artists Rifles and in 1915 he and Leighton married 5 Leighton was one of the many stage artists who came under pressure to recruit soldiers through their performances with much emphasis on the patriotic aspect of their songs such as I ll Make a Man Out of You Leighton was reported to have followed up her act at the Royal Hippodrome Dover with a tour of the town depositing half a dozen young recruits at Dover town hall 6 Cockerill was injured and returned to his home town of Northampton where Leighton continued her recruiting work from The New Theatre Northampton in 1918 7 During World War I Leighton appeared in the silent film Screen Struck 1916 but she was not a success and her career began to fail from this time Her second and final film was Under the Greenwood Tree 1929 8 Leighton died in Farnworth in Lancashire in 1943 She did not have any children from either of her marriages References edit London England Births and Baptisms 1813 1906 for Lilian Caroline Augusta Rickard 1874 Ancestry com 1881 England Census for Lillian Rickard Ancestry com Moore Michael F Drag Male and Female Impersonators on Stage Screen and Television An Illustrated World History McFarland amp Company Incorporated 1994 pg 47 Leighton on the It s Behind You website Northampton Independent 1915 1917 Williams Gordon British Theatre in The Great War Continuum 2003 pg 130 Lou Warwick and Meg Toyer Death of A Theatre A History of the New Theatre Northampton Warwick 1978 pg 44 www bfi org uk Leighton on the British Film Institute websiteExternal links editLeighton on the Stage Beauty website The Queenie Leighton Opera Glove Gallery Queenie Leighton at IMDb Portraits of Leoghton on the National Portrait Gallery website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Queenie Leighton amp oldid 1207563316, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
