George Grossmith
born Dec. 9, 1847, London, Eng.
died March 1, 1912, Folkestone, Kent
English comedian and singer who created many
of the chief characters in the original
productions of Gilbert and Sullivan light
operas.
After several years of journalistic work,
Grossmith began about 1870 as a public
entertainer, with songs, recitations, and
sketches. His long connection with Gilbert
and Sullivan began in 1877 at the Opera
Comique, London, in the comic opera The
Sorcerer. Thereafter, he appeared regularly
at the Opera Comique, being transferred, in
1881, with the Gilbert and Sullivan
productions to the new Savoy Theatre,
London.
In 1889 Grossmith left the Savoy and
again set up as an entertainer, visiting all
the major cities of Great Britain and the
United States. He wrote an autobiography, A
Society Clown (1888), and, with his brother
Weedon Grossmith (1852–1919), an actor and
playwright, wrote the amusing Diary of a
Nobody (1892). His humorous songs and
sketches exceeded 600. Both of his sons,
George (1874–1935) and Lawrence Grossmith
(1877–1944), were distinguished actors.
George, Jr., became a well-known figure in
musical comedies, entered the motion-picture
industry in 1932, and wrote musical plays.
