Terry, Edward O'Connor

1844

1912

Edward Terry was born in London on 10 March 1844. He made his first stage appearance at Christchurch as Wormwood in “The Lottery Ticket”, and after several provincial tours appeared at the Surrey Theatre, London, on 14 September 1867 as Finnikin Fussleton in “A Cure for the Fidgets”. His debut in the West End came as the First Gravedigger in Hamlet at the Lyceum on 29 August 1869. Then he was engaged at the Strand Theatre for seven years and at the Gaiety beginning August 1876 and lasting until May 1885. In 1886 Terry became manager of the Olympic, and on 17 October 1887 he opened Terry’s Theatre. His great success there was as Dick Phenyl (G1004) in Pinero’s “Sweet Lavender”, which opened on 21 March 1888 and ran 700 nights. In the early 1900s he toured Australia, South Africa, Canada and America with his company. Terry served as a Justice of the Peace in Surrey, as Grand Treasurer of English Freemasons and trustee of the Actors’ Benevolent Fund. He became a member of the Garrick Club in February 1884. Terry died on 2 April 1912.