May Leslie Stuart

May Leslie Stuart (1886 – June 20, 1956), born Mary Catherine Barrett, was an English actress and singer in operetta and Edwardian musical comedy from 1909 to 1915. She also sang on the vaudeville circuit, performing with her father, British composer Leslie Stuart.

Early life

Stuart was born in London, the daughter of composer Leslie Stuart (born Thomas Augustine Barrett) and his wife, Katherine Mary Fox. Her younger sister Constance ("Lola") married an American banker and, while living in Maine, taught a young George H. W. Bush to play tennis. Her father's song "Sweetheart May" was written about Stuart when she was a girl.

Career

Stuart acted and sang on the London stage, with roles in Pinkie and the Fairies (1909), Sunlight and Shadow (1910), The Slim Princess (1910), The Count of Luxembourg (1911), The Hope (1911), Delhi in The Crown of India (1912), an adaptation of Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford (1913), The Girl Next Door (1915), Florodora (1915 revival) and The Case of Lady Camber (1915). A reviewer mentioned her "brilliant" acting in creating the role of Lady Camber as a highlight of the last work.

Stuart appeared in one British silent film, The Second Mrs. Tanqueray (1916). She appeared on the vaudeville stage and made some recordings as a singer in 1915, in both settings accompanied by her father on piano, and singing his songs.

In 1910, she was the subject of a photograph in Lallie Charles' exhibit, "Five Hundred Fair Women". Later in life, she wrote radio scripts and was an on-air presenter for the BBC.

Personal life

In 1911, she married a fellow actor, Cecil Cameron, son of actress Violet Cameron. They divorced in 1916. She married again in 1917, to James Mayhew, a theatrical producer; they had a daughter, Mary. Stuart died in 1956, in Richmond, London. Her obituary in Variety indicated that she was involved in theatrical production later in life.