Lily Brayton

Elizabeth "Lily" Brayton (23 June 1876 – 30 April 1953) was an English actress and singer, known for her performances in Shakespeare plays and for her nearly 2,000 performances in the First World War hit musical Chu Chin Chow.

Early life and career

Brayton was born in Hindley, Lancashire, the fourth daughter of a Lancashire doctor, John Grindal Brayton (1842-1892). Little is known of her early life. Her first stage performance was in Manchester in 1896, when she was in the cast of a production of Shakespeare's King Richard II. She joined the F. R. Benson company, and in June 1898 she married Oscar Asche, a fellow member of it. Her sister Agnes Brayton (1878–1957) was another member of the same company.

In 1900 Brayton was chosen by Herbert Beerbohm Tree to create the part of Mariamne in his production of Herod. In 1904 she and Asche formed their own theatrical company. In 1906 she played Iseult in Joseph Comyns Carr's play Tristram and Iseult at the Adelphi Theatre, with Matheson Lang as Tristram and Asche as King Mark. Her sister Agnes also had a part in this production. In 1907 Lily, as Katherine, and Agnes, as Bianca, appeared in the Oxford University Dramatic Society's production of The Taming of the Shrew with Gervais Rentoul as Petruchio.