Jane Stephens (actress)

Jane Tryphoena Stephens (1812? – 15 January 1896) was a British actress who became famous as she became older.

Jane Tryphoena Stephens
Jane 'Grannie' Stephens by William Bond
Born1812?
Died15 January 1896
Clapham Common
NationalityBritish

Life
Stephens' grave in Brookwood Cemetery

Her first surname is unknown as she sometimes appeared as "Miss Stephens". She had a husband called Joseph Stephens who was a solicitor's clerk. Before she took to the stage in 1840 she ran a tobacconists. She took a variety of roles but it was not until 1854 that she found her niche. She took on "grandmotherly" type roles in a number of productions and was affectionately known as "Granny" Stephens.[1] She finished her career on 9 July 1889 with a benefit programme at the Shaftesbury Theatre. The committee responsible for promoting the show included R D'Oyly Carte, George Edwardes and C H Hawtrey.[2][1]

Stephens died in Clapham Common in 1896 of bronchitis.[2] She was cremated on 20 January and her ashes were buried in the Actors' Acre in Brookwood Cemetery in Woking.[3]

Legacy

There is a portrait of "Mrs Stephens" in the National Portrait Gallery by William Bond dating from the early 19th century.[4]

References
  1. "The Shaftesbury - Mrs. Stephens's Farewell". The Stage (434). 12 July 1889. p. 10. Retrieved 18 February 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  2. Knight, Joseph; Gilliland, Jean (2004). "Stephens, Jane Tryphoena". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/26386. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  3. "The Late Mrs Jane Stephens". The Globe (31404). 21 January 1896. p. 2. Retrieved 18 February 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. Mrs Stephens, National Portrait Gallery, London


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