Byron Pedley
Byron Pedley (1844-1910) was an English stage comedian of the Victorian era.
Pedley was born in Chorlton-upon-Medlock, Manchester.[1]
Aside from a long and distinguished career as a low comedian in the Music Halls,[1] he appeared in many pantomimes and in the legitimate theatre as an actor.[1][2]
Critics described Pedley as "an energetic and entertaining showman",[3] "wonderfully humourous",[4] and "inimitable".[5]
Among his best remembered performances was as Mr. Dennis Muldoon in Muldoon’s Picnic, a role he returned to several times over three decades.[1]
In 1901 he appeared to great success with G.M Polini and Austen Melford’s company in The Silver King, in which he played Detective Samuel Baxter.[1] Pedley starred for six years in the production, touring to major theatres and opera houses to critical and public acclaim through to 1907.[1]
On 17 June 1910 following a period of unemployment and treatment for heart disease,[2] Pedley was admitted to the Long Grove asylum with confusional insanity and delirium.[1] He died just a few weeks later, at the age of 62, on 4 July 1910.[1]
Pedley was married twice. He was widowed at the age of 32 with the early death of his first wife Mary Ann Barber.[1] In 1879 he married again, to the actress Elizabeth Groves of the Groves theatrical family.[1] He was a father to five children.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Johnson, Steve (September 17, 2021). "PEDLEY, Byron – Victorian Star of Stage". Friends of Horton Cemetery.
- ^ a b Harding, Nick (2 May 2021). "Plot To Save A Piece of History". Pressreader: Sunday Mirror.
- ^ "Amusements: Theatres and Music Halls". The Era. 11 November 1899. p. 24. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
- ^ "Bristol Theatre Royal: Review". Bristol Mercury. 7 December 1886. p. 5. Retrieved 9 Apr 2022.
- ^ "Provincial Theatricals: Muldoon's Picnic". The Era. 17 Apr 1886. p. 16. Retrieved 9 Apr 2022.