Loftus, Cissie

(1876-1943)

   Born Marie Cecilia Loftus Brown in Glasgow, Scotland, the versatile actress began performing professionally at 15 and won a following with her impersonations of celebrities. She made her American debut in vaudeville in 1895, but then moved into comic opera and legitimate drama. She toured in Shakespearean roles with Helena Modjeska and later with William Faversham. She enjoyed particular success with E. H. Sothern in If I Were King, which was written for her by her first husband, J. Huntley McCarthy. Between these engagements, she would return to vaudeville, triumphing when she played the Palace in 1923. In later years, she drank heavily between engagements, but was never known to miss a performance.