40 Facts About George Grossmith

George Grossmith was an English comedian, writer, composer, actor, and singer.

George Grossmith wrote, in collaboration with his brother Weedon, the 1892 comic novel The Diary of a Nobody.

George Grossmith continued to perform into the first decade of the 20th century.

George Grossmith was born in Islington, London, and grew up in St Pancras and Hampstead, London.

George Grossmith's father, named George, was the chief reporter for The Times and other newspapers at the Bow Street Magistrates' Court and was a lecturer and entertainer.

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George Grossmith's other son, Lawrence Grossmith, was a successful actor, primarily in America.

George Grossmith had a younger sister, Emily, and younger brother, Weedon.

George Grossmith's family moved to Haverstock Hill when young Grossmith was 10, and he became a day student.

George Grossmith was an avid amateur photographer and painter as a teenager, but it was his brother Weedon who went to art school.

George Grossmith joined his father in his entertainments, lectures, and imitations, and began to add music to the entertainments, which his father had not done.

In 1873, George Grossmith married Emmeline Rosa Noyce, the daughter of a neighbourhood physician, whom he had met years earlier at a children's party.

Young George Grossmith received some recognition for amateur songs and sketches at private parties and, beginning in 1864, at penny readings.

George Grossmith participated in a small number of theatricals as an amateur, including playing John Chodd Jr.

George Grossmith then played the title role in Paul Pry, a comedy by Poole, at the Gallery of Illustration, in 1870.

The younger George Grossmith admired the comic pianist and entertainer John Orlando Parry, who created and performed in many of the German Reed Entertainments, and he tried to emulate Parry in developing his own sketches, consisting of humorous anecdotes, mildly satirical comment, ad lib chat, and comic songs centred on the piano.

George Grossmith took to the professional stage in 1870 with a sketch called Human Oddities, written by his father, and a song called "The Gay Photographer".

In late 1870, the younger George Grossmith appeared on his own with a nightly spot at the "old Polytechnic" in Regent Street, where comic sketches alternated with scientific and serious lectures for the entertainment of the public.

An 1871 George Grossmith sketch was called He was a Careful Man.

George Grossmith toured in the summer of 1871 with Mr and Mrs Howard Paul and occasionally afterwards.

On 14 February 1872, George Grossmith gave a sketch parody of a penny reading at the Gaiety Theatre, London, since on Ash Wednesday, theatres refrained from presenting costumed performances out of respect for the holiday.

George Grossmith took a number of engagements, including recitals at private homes.

George Grossmith had appeared in charity performances of Trial by Jury, where both Sullivan and Gilbert had seen him, and Gilbert had earlier commented favourably on his performance in Tom Robertson's Society at the Gallery of Illustration.

George Grossmith was a hit as the tradesmanlike John Wellington Wells, the title role in The Sorcerer, and became a regular member of Richard D'Oyly Carte's company.

George Grossmith spoke self-deprecatingly about his own vocal prowess :.

George Grossmith wrote the music for Arthur Law's short comic opera, Uncle Samuel, the one-act curtain raiser that preceded Patience on the Opera Comique programme.

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George Grossmith continued to give his "society" and other entertainments, often late at night after his performance at the Savoy.

George Grossmith composed the music for another comic opera, The Great Tay-Kin and another piece, both with libretti by Arthur Law, which were performed at Toole's Theatre in 1885.

George Grossmith wrote, composed, and performed in several one-man drawing room sketches, short comic operas or monologues that were given at the Opera Comique or the Savoy Theatre in place of the companion pieces when shorter matinee programmes were playing.

George Grossmith left the D'Oyly Carte company near the end of the original run of The Yeomen of the Guard on 17 August 1889 and resumed his career entertaining at the piano, which he continued to do for more than 15 years afterwards.

George Grossmith composed the music for a three-act comic opera with a libretto by Gilbert, Haste to the Wedding.

Later George Grossmith said that the experience of writing with Gilbert was one of the happiest of his life.

George Grossmith had become the most popular solo entertainer of his day, and his tours earned him far more than he had earned while performing with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company.

An 1896 interview of George Grossmith reveals him feeling his age and considering the end of his touring career, while enjoying time spent at home with his family, dogs and antique piano collection.

George Grossmith was nevertheless persuaded to continue giving his entertainments, which he did on a less frequent basis, until November 1908.

George Grossmith is buried in Kensal Green Cemetery, in the London Borough of Brent.

George Grossmith wrote numerous comic pieces for the magazine Punch, including a series of ten skits in 1884 inspired by his Bow Street experiences, which he called "Very Trying".

George Grossmith wrote two memoirs, A Society Clown: Reminiscences and Piano and I: Further Reminiscences.

George Grossmith wrote both serious and comic pieces for newspapers and magazines throughout his career, displaying a wide range of styles.

George Grossmith was followed, in the Gilbert and Sullivan comic roles, by a number of other popular performers; those who played his roles at the Savoy Theatre for an extended period of time have included Henry Lytton, Martyn Green, Peter Pratt and John Reed, among others.

George Grossmith was portrayed by Martyn Green in the 1953 film The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan and by Martin Savage in the 1999 film Topsy-Turvy.