Gillette, William, 1853-1937

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American actor and author.

From the description of Autograph letters and cards signed (7) and typewritten letters signed (8) : Hadlyme, Conn., etc., to William H. Briggs and others at Harper & Brothers, 1927 Jan. 2-1928 May 1. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 269589041

From the description of Autograph letter signed : [n.p.], to the Editor of the Hartford Courant, 1889 Feb. 12. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 269575084

American actor and playwright.

From the description of To my Little Love : autograph poem unsigned : [New York], sent to Elsie Leslie, 1889 Jan. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 269600608

William Gillette, playwright.

From the description of That little affair at the Boyd's: typescript, n.d. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122414935

From the description of Sherlock Holmes: typescript, 1981 September. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 86164351

Stage actor best known for playing Sherlock Holmes, and building Gillette Castle in Hadlyme, Connecticut.

From the description of William Gillette correspondence and notes, 1933-1937. (Hartford Public Library). WorldCat record id: 124514708

Actor and dramatist.

From the description of Letter of William Gillette, 1886. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 79450467

William Hooker Gillette (1853-1937), the youngest child of Francis Gillette and Elizabeth Daggett Hooker, was born near Nook Farm in Hartford, Connecticut. A major force in late 19th and and early 20th century American theater, Gillette introduced many innovations including natural speech, underacting, the "fade-out," and many sound effects such a horse's hoofbeats. He wrote twenty full-length plays, mostly melodramas or farces, and starred in nine. His most famous plays were "The Professor" and "Sherlock Holmes." He performed "Holmes" 1,300 times between 1899 and 1930. In 1903, twelve different theater companies around the world simultaneously performed "Holmes." It grossed $1 .5 million during this time. Gillette's total lifetime earnings reached more than three million dollars.

Gillette married Helen Nickles (Nichols) of Detroit in Windsor, Ontario in 1882. She died tragically in 1888 of a ruptured appendix on a return trip to Hartford from a western tour of "The Professor." They had no children. Gillette never remarried. He died of pulmonary hemorrhage and is buried beside his wife at Riverside Cemetery in Farmington.

From the description of Papers, 1884-1935. (Connecticut State Library). WorldCat record id: 63167449

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Gillette, William, 1853-1937. Autograph letter signed William Gillette to: "Miss Crommette" Wellesley College
creatorOf Shaw Festival Collection (University of Guelph). Sherlock Holmes / by William Gillette ; based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ; directed by Christopher Newton, 1994 - teachers' study guide. University of Guelph. McLaughlin Library
creatorOf Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sir, 1859-1930. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle collection of papers, 1881-1944. New York Public Library System, NYPL
creatorOf Cheney family. Letters, 1778-1933 Connecticut Historical Society
creatorOf Clayton Meeker Hamilton papers, 1899-1946. New York State Historical Documents Inventory
creatorOf Gillette, William, 1853-1937,. Autograph letters signed from William Gillette to various people [manuscript], 1876-1881. Folger Shakespeare Library
referencedIn British theatrical autograph album, 1900?
creatorOf Gillette, William, 1853-1937. Miscellaneous manuscripts, 1921-1930, n.d. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn Dennis,. William Gillette and others in the play Diplomacy [graphic], 1915. New York Public Library System, NYPL
creatorOf Hemenway, Charles Clifton, 1883-1968. C.C. Hemenway journalism papers, 1902-1968 Connecticut Historical Society
creatorOf Dodge, Mary Abigail, 1833-1896. Mary Abigail Dodge Papers, 1834-1896. Peabody Essex Museum
referencedIn Beecher, James Chaplin, 1828-1886. Papers, 1850-1946 (inclusive). Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Loewentheil, Stephan,. American theater collection of cabinet cards, [1871-1907]. Cornell University Library
creatorOf Gillette, William, 1853-1937. Letter of William Gillette, 1886. Library of Congress
creatorOf Gillette, William, 1853-1937. Note, 1930. Connecticut Historical Society
referencedIn Clayton Meeker Hamilton papers, 1899-1946 New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division
referencedIn Sir Arthur Conan Doyle collection of papers, 1881-1944 The New York Public Library. Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature.
referencedIn Sherlock Holmes : programs and ephemera, 1901-1994. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
referencedIn Howells family papers, 1850-1954 (inclusive). Houghton Library
referencedIn P. S. Hench Collection, 1877-1995 University of Minnesota Libraries. Special Collections and Rare Books [speccoll]
creatorOf Gillette, William, 1853-1937. Letter, 1933 September 4, Hadlyme, Conn., to Charlotte Countryman, Hartford, Conn. Connecticut Historical Society
creatorOf Gillette, William, 1853-1937. That little affair at the Boyd's: typescript, n.d. New York Public Library System, NYPL
creatorOf Leslie, Elsie, 1881-1966. Papers, 1888-1944. Houghton Library
referencedIn Bok, Edward William, 1863-1930. Miscellaneous manuscripts, 1925. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
creatorOf Rice, Wallace, 1859-1939. Wallace Rice papers, 1779-1939, (bulk 1885-1935). Newberry Library
creatorOf Gillette, William, 1853-1937. Papers, 1884-1935. Connecticut State Library, CSL
creatorOf Shaw Festival Collection (University of Guelph). Sherlock Holmes / by William Gillette ; based on Arthur Conan Doyle's stories ; directed by Christopher Newton, 1994 - reviews and articles. University of Guelph. McLaughlin Library
creatorOf Gillette, William, 1853-1937. Daggett, Hooker and Gillette family papers, 1803-1903. Connecticut Historical Society
creatorOf Twain, Mark, 1835-1910. Papers of Mark Twain [manuscript], 1862-1946, bulk 1872-1910. University of Virginia. Library
creatorOf Kittle, C. Frederick. C. Frederick Kittle collection of Doyleana, 1836-2000. Newberry Library
referencedIn Freuh, Alfred, 1880-1968. Alfred Freuh woodcuts cartoons, 1905-1925. Columbia University in the City of New York, Columbia University Libraries
referencedIn Hamilton, Clayton Meeker, 1881-1946. Letter to Horace Howard Furness, Jr., 1929. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn Henry Rider Haggard collection of papers, 1879-1920, 1885-1915 The New York Public Library. Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature.
referencedIn Photographs of theatrical performers, 1862-1982. Harvard Theater Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University
referencedIn Frohman, Daniel, 1851-1940,. Autograph letters signed to Daniel Frohman from various correspondents [manuscript], 1883-1926. Folger Shakespeare Library
referencedIn Scrapbooks, 1904-1931. Connecticut Historical Society
referencedIn Helen Hayes papers, 1817-1963, 1905-1963, dates The New York Public Library. Billy Rose Theatre Division.
creatorOf Haggard, H. Rider (Henry Rider), 1856-1925. Henry Rider Haggard collection of papers, 1884-1920 bulk (1885-1915). New York Public Library System, NYPL
referencedIn Elsie Leslie papers, 1888-1944. Harvard Theater Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University
referencedIn Stark, Samuel. Theatre scrapbook collection, 1860-1950. Stanford University. Department of Special Collections and University Archives
referencedIn James Hosmer Penniman collection, 1653-1944 Yale University. Department of Manuscripts and Archives
creatorOf Shaw Festival Collection (University of Guelph). Sherlock Holmes / by William Gillette ; based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ; directed by Christopher Newton, 1994 - performance file. University of Guelph. McLaughlin Library
creatorOf Gillette, William, 1853-1937. Autograph letter signed : [n.p.], to the Editor of the Hartford Courant, 1889 Feb. 12. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn Hench, Philip S. (Philip Showalter), 1896-1965. P. S. Hench Collection, 1877-1995. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
creatorOf Gillette, William, 1853-1937. William Gillette papers, ca. 1897-1930. Connecticut Historical Society
creatorOf Century Magazine. Correspondence of the editors of the Century Magazine [manuscript], 1883-1900. University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn Helen Hayes papers The New York Public Library. Billy Rose Theatre Division.
creatorOf Gillette, William, 1853-1937. Held by the enemy / by William Gillette ; first New York production 16 Aug. 1886 at Madison Square Theatre. New York Public Library System, NYPL
creatorOf Gillette, William, 1853-1937. Held by the enemy : typescript, after 1886. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn Alexander Woollcott correspondence, ca. 1856-1943 (inclusive), 1920-1943 (bulk). Houghton Library
referencedIn Miscellaneous theatrical papers Houghton Library
referencedIn Frueh, Alfred Joseph, 1880-1968. Theatrical caricatures : linocuts. Stanford University. Department of Special Collections and University Archives
referencedIn Sarasohn, Abraham H., 1869-1940. Papers, 1902-1943. Columbia University in the City of New York, Columbia University Libraries
creatorOf Gillette, William, 1853-1937. Autograph letters and cards signed (7) and typewritten letters signed (8) : Hadlyme, Conn., etc., to William H. Briggs and others at Harper & Brothers, 1927 Jan. 2-1928 May 1. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn Abraham H. Sarasohn Papers, 1902-1943. Columbia University. Rare Book and Manuscript Library
referencedIn Wainwright, Philip S., 1885- . Philip Wainwright theater scrapbook, 1902-1916. Connecticut Historical Society
creatorOf Gillette, William, 1853-1937. Samson : typescript, after 1908. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn Penniman, James Hosmer, 1860-1931. James Hosmer Penniman collection, 1653-1944 (inclusive). Yale University Library
referencedIn Wheeler, Roger,. Theatrical memorabilia, 1770-1940. Columbia University in the City of New York, Columbia University Libraries
creatorOf Shaw Festival Collection (University of Guelph). Sherlock Holmes / by William Gillette ; based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ; directed by Christopher Newton ; technical drawings by Leslie Frankish, 1994. University of Guelph. McLaughlin Library
creatorOf Goodwin, J. Cheever (John Cheever), 1850-1912. Papers, 1844-1941 (inclusive), 1875-1908 (bulk) Houghton Library
referencedIn A. P. Watt and Son records, 1861-1971, 1880-1949 The New York Public Library. Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature.
creatorOf Gillette, William, 1853-1937. She : typescript, after 1886. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
creatorOf Shaw Festival Collection (University of Guelph). Sherlock Holmes / by William Gillette ; directed by Christopher Newton, 1994 - video. University of Guelph. McLaughlin Library
referencedIn Cairns, J. Actors' portraits, 1901-1902. New York Public Library System, NYPL
creatorOf Gillette, William, 1855-1937. Letter, 1933 August 5, Hadlyme, Conn., to Mrs. Lewis. Connecticut Historical Society
creatorOf Gillette, William, 1855-1937. Papers, 1894-1938. Connecticut Historical Society
referencedIn Horsford-Tryon families papers, 1800-2000, (bulk 1835-1887) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Stark, Samuel. Theatre scrapbook collection., 1860-1950 Stanford University. Department of Special Collections and University Archives
referencedIn Miscellaneous screen, stage, and radio scripts, ca. 1859-2007. Harvard Theater Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University
referencedIn Morehouse, Ward, 1898-1966. Ward Morehouse papers, 1877-1966 bulk (1924-1966). New York Public Library System, NYPL
creatorOf Davis, Charles L., 1849-1900. Charles L. Davis autograph album of theatrical personalities, 1885-1899. Pennsylvania State University Libraries
creatorOf Gillette, William, 1853-1937. Correspondence with Frank Fuller, 1891-1914. Connecticut Historical Society
creatorOf Sherlock Holmes : programs and ephemera, 1974-1987. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
referencedIn Barrère, Camille, 1851-1940,. Meredith Johnson autograph collection, 1920-1934. University of Virginia. Library
creatorOf Gillette, William, 1853-1937. Because she loved him so. 19th-Century American Drama
creatorOf Gillette, William, 1853-1937. Letter, 1935 June 25, Hadlyme, Conn., to John Sullivan. Connecticut Historical Society
creatorOf Trumbull, Annie Eliot, 1857-1949. Annie Eliot Trumbull papers, 1867-1944. Connecticut Historical Society
creatorOf Gillette, William, 1853-1937. William Gillette letters, 1927. Connecticut Historical Society
creatorOf London Stereoscopic Company. [William Gillette memorabilia]. Newberry Library
creatorOf Gillette, William, 1853-1937. To my Little Love : autograph poem unsigned : [New York], sent to Elsie Leslie, 1889 Jan. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn Ward Morehouse papers, 1877-1966, 1924-1966 The New York Public Library. Billy Rose Theatre Division.
creatorOf Gillette, William, 1853-1937. William Gillette correspondence and notes, 1933-1937. Connecticut Historical Society
referencedIn J. M. Barrie letters to Maude Adams and Charles Frohman, 1897-1928. Harvard Theater Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University
creatorOf Gillette, William, 1853-1937. Sherlock Holmes: typescript, 1981 September. New York Public Library System, NYPL
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith A. P. Watt and Son corporateBody
associatedWith Aunt Polly (Houseboat) corporateBody
associatedWith Barrie, J. M. (James Matthew), 1860-1937 person
associatedWith Beecher, James Chaplin, 1828-1886. person
associatedWith Bernstein, Henry, 1876-1953. person
associatedWith Bisson, Alexandre, 1848-1912. person
associatedWith Bok, Edward William, 1863-1930. person
associatedWith Briggs, H. person
associatedWith Briggs, William H., person
associatedWith Burpee, Charles W. (Charles Winslow), b. 1859. person
associatedWith Burpee, Emma Bertha Stiles, 1866- person
associatedWith Cairns, J. person
associatedWith Century Magazine. corporateBody
associatedWith Cheney family. family
associatedWith Clemens, Olivia L. Langdon, d. 1904. person
associatedWith Countryman, Charlotte Whiting Burton. person
associatedWith Crommette, Miss. person
correspondedWith Daly, Augustin, 1838-1899 person
associatedWith Davis, Charles L., 1849-1900. person
associatedWith Dennis, person
associatedWith Dodge, Mary Abigail, 1833-1896. person
associatedWith Douglass, Frederick, 1818-1895. person
associatedWith Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sir, 1859-1930. person
correspondedWith Fiske, Stephen, 1840-1916 person
associatedWith Freuh, Alfred, 1880-1968. person
correspondedWith Frohman, Daniel, 1851-1940, person
associatedWith Frueh, Alfred Joseph, 1880-1968. person
associatedWith Fuller, Frank. person
associatedWith Gillette Castle. corporateBody
associatedWith Gillette, Francis, 1807-1879. person
associatedWith Goodwin, J. Cheever (John Cheever), 1850-1912. person
associatedWith Haggard, H. Rider (Henry Rider), 1856-1925. person
associatedWith Hamilton, Clayton Meeker, 1881-1946. person
associatedWith Harper & Brothers. corporateBody
associatedWith Hayes, Helen, 1900-1993 person
associatedWith Hemenway, Charles Clifton, 1883-1968. person
associatedWith Hench, Philip S. (Philip Showalter), 1896-1965. person
associatedWith Hooker, Edward, 1785-1846. person
associatedWith Hooker, Eliza Daggett, 1786-1869. person
correspondedWith Horsford-Tryon families family
associatedWith Jackson Sanitorium (Dansville, N.Y.) corporateBody
associatedWith Kittle, C. Frederick. person
associatedWith Lectercq, Adolphe. person
associatedWith Leslie, Elsie, person
associatedWith Loewentheil, Stephan, person
associatedWith Morehouse, Ward, 1898-1966. person
associatedWith Osaki, Taki. person
associatedWith Penniman, James Hosmer, 1860-1931. person
associatedWith Plympton, Eben, 1853-1915. person
associatedWith Rice, Wallace, 1859-1939. person
associatedWith Samuel Stark person
associatedWith Sarasohn, Abraham H., 1869-1940. person
associatedWith Shaw Festival Collection (University of Guelph) corporateBody
associatedWith Shaw Festival Collection (University of Guelph) corporateBody
associatedWith Shaw Festival Collection (University of Guelph) corporateBody
associatedWith Shaw Festival Collection (University of Guelph) corporateBody
associatedWith Shaw Festival Collection (University of Guelph) corporateBody
associatedWith Skinner, Otis, 1858-1942. person
associatedWith Stark, Samuel. person
associatedWith Sullivan, John. person
associatedWith Trumbull, Annie Eliot, 1857-1949. person
associatedWith Trumbull, John Harper, 1873-1961. person
associatedWith Twain, Mark, 1835-1910. person
associatedWith Wainwright, Philip S., 1885- . person
associatedWith Ward, Mary Augusta (Arnold) (Mrs. Humphry Ward), 1851-1920. person
associatedWith Warner, Margaret, d. 1931. person
associatedWith Watson, Amelia M. (Amelia Montague), 1856-1934. person
associatedWith Watson, Amerlia M. (Amelia Montague), 1856-1934. person
associatedWith Wheeler, Roger, person
correspondedWith Woollcott, Alexander, 1887-1943 person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Connecticut--Hadlyme
Connecticut
North Carolina--Tryon
Connecticut
United States
Subject
Actors
Actors
Acting
American drama
Chauffeurs
Correspondence
Deafness
Dramatists
Dwellings
Elocution
Families
Holmes, Sherlock (Fictitious character)
Portraits
Prompt-book
Smoking
Women artists
Yachts
Occupation
Actors
Dramatists
Activity

Person

Birth 1853-07-24

Death 1937-04-29

Information

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Ark ID: w6sf2xqs

SNAC ID: 9971670