DREW FAMILY

U.S. theatrical family.

Louisa Lane (later Louisa Lane Drew; 1820–97) began her stage career at age eight in Philadelphia, where her widowed mother had brought her from England. Her many successful parts included Lady Teazle, Mrs. Malaprop, and such "breeches" roles as Shakespeare's Romeo and Mark Antony. In 1850 she married the Irish comic actor John Drew (1827–62), who made his U.S. debut in 1842 and comanaged the Arch Street Theatre in Philadelphia. He toured widely, and she managed the theatre from 1861, directing the renamed Mrs. John Drew's Arch Street Theatre company with notable success until 1892. Their son John Drew, Jr. (1853–1927), made his debut (1873) with his mother's company, then joined the companies of Augustin Daly (1838–99) and Charles Frohman (1860–1915). He was noted for his roles in Shakespearean comedies, society dramas, and light comedies. Their daughter Georgiana Emma Drew (1854–93) made her acting debut with her mother's company (1872). She became the wife of the actor Maurice Barrymore and the mother of the actors Lionel, Ethel, and John Barrymore (see Barrymore family ).