CHAUNCEY OLCOTT

Chauncey Olcott was born in New York in 1858 to parents from County Cork, Ireland. He performed in minstrel shows as a young man and then went to London to study singing. He returned to New York, where Lillian Russell helped him become a Broadway star. Producer Augustus Pitou approached him in 1893 to take over the lead in his Irish musical play, "Mavourneeen" (replacing William J. Scanlan), and Olcott had great success in that role, and he continued to play in Irish musicals for the remainder of his career, many of which he not only acted and sang in, but also, he wrote and composed the songs as well (sometimes in collaboration with others), for a total of at least 20 plays between 1894 and 1920. He sang many of the great Irish standards, including "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" and "Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral". In 1925, he became ill and retired, and he moved to Monte Carlo, and passed away in 1932 at the age of 73. His life story was portrayed in the 1947 movie, "My Wild Irish Rose", starring Dennis Morgan, and it was based on his biography, written by his widow in 1939.