Sarah Siddons (née Kemble; 5 July 1755 – 8 June 1831)was a Welsh actress, the best-known tragedienne of the 18th century. Contemporaneous critic William Hazlitt dubbed Siddons as "tragedy personified."She was the elder sister of John Philip Kemble, Charles Kemble, Stephen Kemble, Ann Hatton, and Elizabeth Whitlock, and the aunt of Fanny Kemble. She was most famous for her portrayal of the Shakespearean character Lady Macbeth, a character she made her own.After Lady Macbeth she played Desdemona, Rosalind, Ophelia, and Volumnia, all with great success; but it was as Queen Catherine in Henry VIII that she was in her element.
The Kemble siblings' parents were Roger Kemble, a Roman Catholic, and Sarah "Sally" Ward, a Protestant. Sarah and her sisters were raised in their mother's faith, and her brothers were raised in their father's faith. Roger Kemble was the manager of a touring theatre company, the Warwickshire Company of Comedians.Although the theatre company included most members of the Kemble family, Siddons' parents initially disapproved of her choice of profession. At that time, acting was only beginning to become a respectable profession for a woman.
From 1770 until 1773, Siddons served as a lady's maid and later as companion to Lady Mary Bertie Greatheed at Guy's Cliffe near Warwick.Lady Greatheed was the daughter of the Duke of Ancaster; her son, Bertie Greatheed, was a dramatist who continued the family's friendship with Siddons.In 1773, she married William Siddons, an actor. After 30 years, the marriage became strained and informally ended with their separation in 1804. William died in 1808. Together,they had 7 children,and Sarah outlived 5 of them.Siddons had a unique ability to control her own celebrity persona and "manipulate her public image through a variety of visual materials."She would only choose roles that could aid her popularity and protect her image. By cleverly blurring the distinction between the characters she played on stage and her presentation offstage, Siddons combined her maternal persona with depictions of British femininity. This allowed her to avoid the same reproach and scandal as other actresses of the time.

Interesting the learn the extent of her celebrity, in her time. Disheartening that her husband (and most of the rest of her family) basically lived off her success and hard work. Here's a woman who might've been happier had she been more selfish and striven less for "respectability." I found myself wanting to tell her to just dump all that baggage, keep her money, and live as high as she wanted. And the beastly man gave her a venereal disease, to boot! (Descriptions of which are just plain gross...yikes.) Her life reads like that of one of the long-suffering tragic heroines she played onstage. And there's nothing particularly admirable about a tragic heroine, imho.

Sarah Siddons, born into a poor family of traveling actors, rose to stardom before turning 30, earning fees higher than any actor before her. Despite a disastrous London debut at 20, she rebuilt her career through relentless provincial touring, eventually becoming Britain's greatest tragic actress and captivating audiences, artists, and the royal family. Sarah not only redefined theater with her performances but also managed her public image meticulously, ensuring her likeness was widely circulated and maintaining a facade of respectability despite a troubled marriage.

I’ve seen Mrs. Siddons references before in works of fiction, but I didn’t know much about her. In a time when actresses were considered immoral, she fought to maintain a respectable persona, and I respected that. Of course, there were some scandals, some deserved and some not, and it was interesting to learn about the things she faced in her life.

The author presents the facts in a logical manner, mostly in chronological order, but sometimes addressing a situation that had long-reaching effects.

I enjoyed reading this and found it very informative. Anyone who has an interest in the history of actresses and theater will no doubt enjoy this one.

From poverty-stricken beginnings to superstar status, Sarah Siddons became Britain’s greatest tragic actress. Her rise was not easy, but she overcame a disastrous London debut and relentless touring to electrify audiences with her performances. Adored by the public and royalty alike, she mastered her image and redefined the world of theater. This book is fascinating, engaging, and well-researched.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Sara Siddons, The first celebrity actress by Joe Willett in the book we learn much about the famous 18th century actress from her celebrity her love-hate relationship with many people and the country of Ireland the suicide she was almost blamed for her lack luster beginning her families history in the theater mini roles she performed how she was responsible for many loss congregants of the church in Scotland, But the thing that most impressed me was that she made her London debut two weeks after giving birth to her daughter whose name was Sarah but who they called Sally. This book was so interesting like most celebrities once she became super famous there were those who wanted to take her down including jealous fellow actresses men who were in love with her but Hoochie gave no time to and so much more her life was truly at times was a sad one from her getting sick and people accusing her of being lazy and not wanting to do the performance this is a truly interesting book and one I definitely enjoyed. She played many fiery women on stage and brought the audience and the musicians to tears they say her performances in some cases lost like Parliament because so many lords attended despite all her celebrity however she was a faithful wife and loved her family it’s approved to be great at many things. This was a truly interesting book with quotes from letters between her and her friends her husband William newspaper articles and a well research narrative totally kept me enthralled in this great book. Joe Willet did an awesome job telling her story her celebrity and everything that came with it. I want to thank pin and sword press for my free arc copy via NetGalley please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Sarah Siddons The First Celebrity Actress by Jo Willett is a stunning account of a woman who defied conventions and succeeded against the odds in an era where women were secondary and to be seen, not heard, having a career and independance unheard of

As a part of a travelling troupe of actors, Sarah Siddons lived in poverty and destitution, only just surving. She left the troupe at 20, and over 10 years of hard work and toil, with her children in tow, she climbed the ranks to become the most famous actress despite the vicious rumours and slander trying to tarnish her reputation. Siddons married young and despite the image on the surface, behind closed doors, the marriage itself was very different

Well written, intriguing and immersive, a very interesting account of a poewrful soul

Thank you to NetGalley, Pen & Sword | Pen & Sword History and the author Jo Willett for this stunning ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

I have often seen the stunning Gainsborough portrait of Sarah in London’s National Gallery so this was a must-read. Detailed and thoroughly researched, this book provides a comprehensive account of the great actress’s life and it also gives us a good picture of her personality. She was truly an amazin woman! The daughter of itinerant players, who yet focused on respectability and success, Sarah had to really struggle to rise to the top. She married young, became the primary breadwinner in the marriage, and had many children. Presenting herself as virtuous and respectable, she ensured that actresses were not just seen as mistresses or prostitutes. She also became the first celebrity actress.

She suffered from ill-health, money troubles and various scandals but she managed to act until she was quite old, unusual even today for women. She was also greatly loved by her public. 5,000 people attended her funeral!

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I've often wondered about the captivating woman painted several times by Thomas Gainsborough and others. Now my curiosity is satisfied by this biography of Sarah Siddons, the first "celebrity actress". She grew up as a member of a family troupe of travelling actors, always poor and often hungry, resorting to foraging for turnips to eat. But before she was 30 she had become a superstar, her fees greater than any actor - male or female - had previously achieved.

The book is full of period detail and I really enjoyed Sarah's story. Success wasn't easy, her first London season was a disaster and she became depressed. She found more success in provincial theatres but suffered from working mother guilt. After four years she was persuaded by RB Sheridan to return to London, and this time triumphed. At one point, her tragic performance was so convincing her 8 year old son burst into tears, thinking his mother was dying. Sir Joshua Reynolds designed the gown she wore for her role as Lady MacBeth.

Her reputation came under attack when she was involved in a dispute with actor William Brereton, and Sarah was criticised for being stingy and money-grabbing. She never really recovered from this episode. At 37 Sarah discovered her unfaithful husband had given her a form of venereal disease. Their eldest son died aged 41, and Sarah came out of retirement briefly to raise money for her son's widow and their children.