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Quick Facts
- NAME: Laura Keene
- OCCUPATION: Theater Actress
- BIRTH DATE: c. July 20, 1826
- DEATH DATE: November 04, 1873
- PLACE OF BIRTH: London, England
- PLACE OF DEATH: Montclair, New Jersey
- Originally: Mary Frances Moss
Best Known For
In addition to her successful career as an actress, Laura Keene became the first female theater manager. She witnessed Lincoln’s assassination.
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Play NowLaura Keene. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 09:43, May 25, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/laura-keene-9361736.
Laura Keene. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/laura-keene-9361736 [Accessed 25 May 2013].
"Laura Keene." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 25 2013, 09:43 http://www.biography.com/people/laura-keene-9361736.
"Laura Keene," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/laura-keene-9361736 [accessed May 25, 2013].
"Laura Keene," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/laura-keene-9361736 (accessed May 25, 2013).
Laura Keene [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 25] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/laura-keene-9361736.
Laura Keene, http://www.biography.com/people/laura-keene-9361736 (last visited May 25, 2013).
Laura Keene. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/laura-keene-9361736. Accessed May 25, 2013.
Synopsis
Profile
Actress, producer, and theater manager. Born around 1826 in London, England. Some sources say that her birth name was Mary Frances Moss, but she is best known by her professional name Laura Keene. In addition to her successful career as an actress, she became the first female theater manager in 1855.
After performing in her native London, Laura Keene came to the United States in 1852. She quickly found success on the American stage. Keene made history in 1855 by becoming a theatrical manager. The Laura Keene??s Varieties started that year and then she moved into her own self-titled theater the following year. It was a successful venture for a number of years. Even after it closed, she continued to act and produce plays.
In 1865, Laura Keene was also a witness to one of the greatest tragedies of her time. She was performing at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., when President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.
Laura Keene died on November 4, 1873.
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