Gabrielle Ray, one of the
most beautiful of the Edwardian actresses, was born
Gabrielle Elizabeth Clifford Cook on the 28th April 1883,
the 4th child of William Cook and Anne Maria Elizabeth
Holden of Adswood, Bamford Grange, Cheadle, Cheshire.
She married Eric Loder in 1912, but the childless marriage
was dissolved in 1914.
After returning to the stage in 1915, she appeared in a
variety of shows and pantomimes for the next ten years. When
her health started to fail in 1936, she had a complete
nervous breakdown, which institutionalised in a mental
hospital for the next 40 years.
She died on the 21st May 1973 at the age of 90 years, with
at least 33 years on the stage. |
