Eleanor Daniels | |
|---|---|
 Eleanor Daniels, from a 1914 publication | |
| Born | 28 December 1886 Llanarthney, Carmarthenshire, UK |
| Died | 18 March 1994 (age 107) Darien, Connecticut, US |
| Other names | Ellyw (bardic name) |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer, vocal coach |
Eleanor Daniels (28 December 1886 – 18 March 1994) was a Welsh stage and film actress.
Eleanor Jane Daniels was born in Llanarthney and raised in Llanelli, the daughter David Daniels and Margaret Daniels. Her father was a hay merchant and publican.[1] She had her first public success at age 13, when she won a prize at a local eisteddfod.[2] She won three National Eisteddfod chairs by 1907,[3] and studied acting with the Herbert Beerbohm Tree company.[1]
Daniels taught school as a young woman, and acted in Welsh stage dramas in Great Britain. She toured the United States with the Welsh Players in 1914.[4] She moved to the United States soon after, and appeared on stage and in silent films,[5][6] with good reviews for her work,[7] though Dorothy Parker commented that "Eleanor Daniels works enthusiastically at being funny."[8]
Daniels' stage roles included parts in Change (London 1912, 1913, New York 1914),[9][10][11][12] The Joneses (London 1913), Kitty MacKay (1914),[13][14] Loyalty, Heart of the Heather, Zach, Kitty Darlin' (1917),[15] Lassies, La La Lucille (1919, 1920),[16] Ashes (1924),[17] The Beaten Track (1926),[18][19] Juno and the Paycock (1926),[20] and Rain.[1] Her film appearances included a role in If Winter Comes (1923).[19][21] She was a vocal coach in New York later in life,[2] and had an office job with a diabetes charity.[22]
Daniels died in 1994, aged 107 years, in Darien, Connecticut. A blue plaque honouring Daniels was unveiled in Llanelli in 2011.[22]
