Rehan, Ada

(1860-1916)

   Born Ada Delia Crehan in Limerick, Ireland, the actress came to America with her family at age five. Her two older sisters and a brother became actors, and she unexpectedly followed them into the profession as a last-minute replacement. A typesetter's error, listing her as Ada C. Rehan in a program, created her stage name. She made her little-noticed New York debut in 1873, then performed two seasons at Philadelphia's Arch Street Theatre, followed by touring. Most of her career was associated with producer Augustin Daly, whose company she joined in 1879. As the leading lady of his companies for 20 years, she excelled in light comedy. She was tall, graceful, and energetic, with an apparent spontaneity that worked well in the superficial fare of her first decade with Daly. In the late 1880s, he began featuring her in Shakespeare productions, and she won particular acclaim as Kate in The Taming of the Shrew. However, she became emotionally as well as artistically dependent upon Daly, and his death in 1899 was a setback to her. After an absence from the stage, she toured with Otis Skinner, but never recovered the spirit of her Daly years.