List of American women in 19th century theater
A
- Emma Abbott - (December 9, 1850 - January 5, 1891) Born in Chicago, Illinois.
- Bessie Abott (1878-February 9, 1919) Born Bessie Pickens in Heuvelton, New York.
- Florence Adelaide Fowle Adams (October 15, 1863 - July 31, 1916) Born Florence Adelaide Fowle in Chelsea, Massachusetts.
- Maude Adams (November 11, 1872 - July 17, 1953) Born Maude Ewing Adams Kiskadden in Salt Lake City, Utah.
- Suzanne Adams (November 28, 1872 - February 5, 1953) Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
- Sara Adler (May 26, 1858 - April 28, 1953) Born Sara Levitskaya in Odessa, Ukraine, Russian Empire.
- Ullie Akerstrom (March 17, 1864 - August 10, 1941) Born Ulrika Akerstrom in New York City.
- Viola Alberti (July 10, 1871 - May 8, 1957) Born Mary Viola Alberti in Lewistown, Pennsylvania.
- Viola Allen (October 27, 1867 - May 9, 1948) Born Viola Emily Allen in Huntsville, Alabama.
- Mary Anderson (July 28, 1859 - May 29, 1940) Born Mary Antoinette Anderson in Sacramento, California.
B
- Emily Bancker (1861/62 - June 5, 1897)
- Charlotte Mary Sanford Barnes (1818 - April 14, 1863) Born in Massachusetts.
- Ethel Barrymore (August 15, 1879 - June 18, 1959) Born Ethel Mae Blythe in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- Isabel Bateman (December 28, 1854 - 1934) Born in Cincinnati, Ohio.
- Kate Josephine Bateman Crowe (October 7, 1842 - April 8, 1917) Born Kate Josephine Bateman in Baltimore, Maryland.
- Sidney Frances Bateman (March 29, 1823 - January 13, 1881) Born Sidney Frances Cowell in England.
- Virginia Frances Bateman (January 1, 1853 - May 4, 1940) Born in New York, she was also known as Mrs. Edward Compton and Virginia Mackenzie.
- Blanche Bates (August 25, 1873 - December 25, 1941) Born in Portland, Oregon.
- Nora Bayes (October 3, 1880 - March 19, 1928) Born Rachel Eleanora Goldberg in Chicago, Illinois.
- Louise Beaudet (December 5, 1859 - December 31, 1947) Born Marie Louise Anna Beaudet in Lothbiniere, Quebec, Canada.
- Rose Beaudet (1862 - 1947) Born Eliza Lang in Stockton, California near San Francisco.
- Laura Joyce Bell (May 1854 - May 30, 1904) Born Laura Joyce Maskell in London, England.
- Ann West Bignall (1760's - 1805) Born Ann West.
- Amelia Bingham (March 20, 1869 - September 1, 1927) Born Amelia Swilley Bingham in Hicksville, Ohio.
- Kitty Blanchard (1847 - December 14, 1911) Born Elizabeth Blanchard from Pennsylvania.
- Lillian Blauvelt (1873 - 1947) Born in New York City.
- Clara Bloodgood (August 23, 1870 - December 5, 1907) Born in Long Branch, New Jersey.
- Marjorie Bonner (d. November 15, 1895) Born Catherine F. Goodwin and not associated with Marjorie Bonner of the Ziegfeld Follies.
- Jessie Bonstelle (November 1871 - October 14, 1932) Born Laura Justine Bonstelle in Greece, New York.
- Agnes Booth (October 4, 1843 - January 2, 1910) Born Marian Agnes Land Rookes in Sydney, New South Wales.
- Elizabeth Crocker Bowers (March 12, 1830 - November 6, 1895) Born in Stamford, Connecticut and professionally known as Mrs. D.P. Bowers.
- May Brookyn (1854/59 - February 15, 1894) Born in Greater London, England.
- Cora Urquhart Brown-Potter (May 15, 1857 - February 12, 1936) Born Mary Cora Urquhart in New Orleans, Louisiana.
- Nellie Marie Burns (1850s - June 16, 1897) Born Ellen Marie Sherman in Waltham, Massachusetts.
- Marie Burroughs (1866 - March 4, 1926) Born Lillie Arrington in San Jose, California.
- Jessie Busley (1869 - 1950)
- Sarah Hildreth Butler (August 17, 1816 - April 8, 1876) Born Sarah Jones Hildreth in Dracut, Massachusetts.
C
- Marie Cahill (December 29, 1866 - August 23, 1933) Born Mary "Marie" Cahill in Brooklyn, New York.
- Georgia Caine (October 30, 1876 - April 4, 1964) Born in San Francisco, California.
- Beatrice Cameron (1868 - July 12, 1940) Born Susan Hegeman in Troy, New York.
- Leslie Carter (June 10, 1857 - November 13, 1937) Born Caroline Louise Dudley in Lexington, Kentucky.
- Emma Carus (March 18, 1879 - November 18, 1927) Born in New York City.
- Louise Carver (June 9, 1869 - June 18, 1956) Born Mary Louise Stieger in Davenport, Iowa.
- Georgia Cayvan (August 22, 1857 - November 19, 1906) Born Georgie Eva Cayvan in Bath, Maine.
- Henrietta Baker Chanfrau (1837 - 1909) Born Jeannette Davis in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- Beatrice Chanler (May 7, 1881 - June 19, 1946) Born Beatrice Minerva Ashley in Charlottesville, Virginia. Also known as Minnie Ashley.
- Caroline Chapman (c. 1818 - May 8, 1876) Born in San Francisco, California.
- Edythe Chapman (October 8, 1863 - October 15, 1948) Born in Rochester, New York.
- Charlotte Baldwin (1778 - 1856)
- Alfreda Chippendale (1842 - November 9, 1887) Born Alfreda Schoolcraft in New Orleans, Louisiana. Also known as Alfreda "Alfy" Chippendale.
- Gertrude Claire (July 16, 1852 - April 28, 1928) Born in Chicago, Illinois.
- Ada Clare (July, 1834 - March 4, 1874) Born Ada Agnes Jane McElhenney in Charleston, South Carolina.
- Marguerite Clark (February 22, 1883 - September 25, 1940) Born Helen Marguerite Clark in Avondale, Cincinnati, Ohio.
- Kate Claxton (August 24, 1848 - May 5, 1924) Born in Somerville, New Jersey.
- Viola Katherine Clemmons (November 17, 1874 - December 24, 1930) Born in Scotts County, Illinois and used the stage name Katherine Dayan.
- Josephine Clifton (1813? - 1847) Possibly born in New York or Philadelphia and possible surname Miller.
- Ella Maria Dietz Clymer (January 27, 1847 - January 9, 1920) Born Ella Maria Dietz in New York City.
- Laura Sedgwick Collins (1859 - 1927) Born Laura Sedgwick in Poughkeepsie, New York.
- Nanette Comstock (July 17, 1866 - June 22, 1942) Born in Albany, New York.
- Ida Conquest (February 26, 1876 - July 12, 1937)
- Sarah Crocker Conway (1834 - April 28, 1875) Born in Ridgefield, Connecticut.
- Ethyle Cooke (August 4, 1885 - April 20, 1949) Born in Lynn, Massachusetts.
- Mabelle Gilman Corey (December 4, 1874 - November 14, 1960) Born Mabelle Gillman in San Francisco, California. Also known as Mrs. William Ellis Corey.
- Mae Costello (August 13, 1882 - August 2, 1929) Born Mae Altschuk in Brooklyn, New York.
- Lotta Crabtree (November 7, 1847 - September 25, 1924) Born Charlotte Mignon Crabtree in New York City.
- Marcella Craft (August 11, 1874 - December 12, 1959) Born Marcia Craft in Indianapolis, Indiana.
- Maida Craigen (1861 - April 5, 1942)
- Laura Hope Crews (December 12, 1879 - November 12, 1942) Born in San Francisco, California.
- Eliza Crisp
- Henrietta Crosman (September 2, 1861 - October 31, 1944) Born Henrietta Foster Crosman in Wheeling, West Virginia.
- Charlotte Cushman (July 23, 1816 - February 18, 1876) Born Charlotte Suanders Cushman in Boston, Massachusetts.
- Pauline Cushman (June 10, 1833 - December 2, 1893) Born Harriet Wood in New Orleans, Louisiana.
- Susan Webb Cushman (March 17, 1822 - May 10, 1859) Born in Boston, Massachusetts.
D
- Margaret Dale (actress)
- Helen Dauvray
- Alice Davenport
- Milla Davenport
- Phoebe Davies
- Fay Davis
- Henrietta Vinton Davis
- Jessie Bartlett Davis
- May de Sousa
- Julia Dean (actress)
- Camille D'elmar
- Kate Denin
- Susan Denin
- Laura Don
- Frances Ann Denny Drake
- Virginia Dreher
- Louise Dresser
- Dorothy Drew
- Georgiana Drew
- Louisa Lane Drew
- Helen Dunbar
- Minnie Dupree
- Maud Durbin
E
- Virginia Earle
- Elise, Countess of Edla
- Maxine Elliott
- Edith Ellis (playwright)
- Effie Ellsler
- Agnes Ethel
- Lizzie Evans
- Pearl Eytinge
- Rose Eytinge
F
- Maude Fealy
- Elsie Ferguson
- Bijou Fernandez
- Eliza Riddle Field
- Kate Field
- Margarita Fischer
- Minnie Maddern Fiske
- Harriet Ford
- Louise Woodworth Foss
- Della Fox
- Frances Denny Drake
- Irene Franklin
- Olive Fremstad
- Emma Sheridan Fry
G
- Minna Gale
- Bertha Galland
- Grace George
- Effie Germon
- Sylvia Gerrish
- Amelia Holman Gilfert
- Lulu Glaser
- Katherine Grey (actress)
- Louise Gunning
H
- Louise Closser Hale
- Laura Nelson Hall
- Pauline Hall
- Elizabeth Hamblin
- Virginia Harned
- Alice Harrison
- Percy Haswell
- Ella Hattan
- Grace Henderson
- Ogarita Booth Henderson
- Beatrice Herford
- Adrienne McNeil Herndon
- Chrystal Herne
- Bijou Heron
- Matilda Heron
- Mabel Hite
- Edna Wallace Hopper
- Kate Horn
- Jean Hosmer
- Lotty Hough
- Jobyna Howland
- Caroline Miskel Hoyt
- Hyers Sisters
I
- Isabel Irving (February 18, 1871 - September 1, 1944) Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
J
- Ethel Jackson
- Fanny Janauschek
- Elsie Janis
- Marie Jansen
- Cornelia Frances Jefferson
- Maud Jeffries
- Izetta Jewel
- Susan Johnstone
- Avonia Jones
- Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones
- Pauline Joran
K
- Florence Kahn (actress)
- Bertha Kalich
- Kathleen Kerrigan (actress)
- Kathryn Kidder
- Jennie Kimball
- Sarah Kirby-Stark
- Mrs. Edward Knight
L
- Lucille La Verne
- La Sylphe
- Paulina Lavitz
- Lillian Lawrence
- Louise Le Baron
- Sarah Cowell Le Moyne
- Jennie Lee (American actress)
- Lillian Lee
- Mercedes Leigh
- Amy Leslie
- Elsie Leslie
- Annie Lewis
- Clara Lipman
- Keni Liptzin
- Little Tuesday
- Eliza Logan
- Olive Logan
- Marion Lorne
M
- Annie Mack
- Jessie Mackaye
- Marietta Judah
- Julia Marlowe
- Mary Maurice
- Olive May
- Kate Mayhew
- Margaret Mayo (playwright)
- Mollie McConnell
- Nancy McIntosh
- Margaret McWade
- Rose Melville
- Adah Isaacs Menken
- Ann Brunton Merry
- Maggie Mitchell
- Helena Modjeska
- Virginia Monier
- Annabelle Moore
- Polly Moran
- Jane Morgan (actress)
- Giuseppina Morlacchi
- Clara Morris
- Anna Cora Mowatt
N
- Miriam Nesbitt (September 14, 1873 - August 11, 1954) Born in Chicago, Illinois.
- Alice Nielsen (June 7, 1872 - March 8, 1943) Born in Nashville, Tennessee.
O
- Alice Oates (September 22, 1849 - January 10, 1887) Born Alice Merritt in Nashville, Tennessee.
- Maude Odell (November 10, 1870 - February 27, 1939) Born in Beaufort, South Carolina, she was also known as Maude O'Dell, Tillie Doremus and Maude Odell Doremus.
- Peggy O'Neil (June 16, 1898 - January 7, 1960) Born in Gneeveguilla, County Kerry, Ireland.
- Julie Opp (January 28, 1871 - April 9, 1921) Born in New York City.
- Elita Proctor Otis (1851/1860 - August 10, 1927) Born in Cleveland, Ohio.
P
- Mabel Paige
- Minnie Palmer
- Charlotte Blair Parker
- Jane Peyton
- Annie Pixley
- Charlotte Wrighten Placide
- Jane Placide
- Eliza Poe
- Madame Ponisi
- Lily Post
- Kate Price (actress)
- Eva Puck
Q
R
- Lulah Ragsdale
- Jessie Ralph
- Phyllis Rankin
- Dora Knowlton Ranous
- Kate Raymond
- Olive Redpath
- Ada Rehan
- Carrie Reynolds
- Fanny Rice
- Emily Rigl
- Blanche Ring
- Annie Robe
- Florence Roberts
- Florence Roberts (actress)
- May Robson
- Genevieve Rogers
- Rose Sydell
- Isadore Rush
- Ada Dwyer Russell
- Annie Russell
- Lillian Russell
S
- Josie Sadler https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josie_Sadler
- Julia Sanderson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Sanderson
- Sibyl Sanderson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sibyl_Sanderson
- Zelda Sears https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zelda_Sears
- Evelyn Selbie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evelyn_Selbie
- Selene Johnson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selene_Johnson
- Effie Shannon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effie_Shannon
- Truly Shattuck https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truly_Shattuck
- Charlotte Shelby https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Shelby
- Sydney Shields https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Shields
- Catherine Norton Sinclair https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Norton_Sinclair
- Beverley Sitgreaves https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverley_Sitgreaves
- Rose Stahl https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_Stahl
- Genevieve Stebbins https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genevieve_Stebbins
- Rowena Granice Steele https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rowena_Granice_Steele
T
- Edith Taliaferro https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Taliaferro
- Fay Templeton https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fay_Templeton
- Gertrude Thanhouser https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Thanhouser
- Bessie Thomashefsky https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bessie_Thomashefsky
- Minnie Tittell Brune https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnie_Tittell_Brune
- Helen Tracy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Tracy
- Sarah Truax https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Truax
- Carrie Turner (actress) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie_Turner_(actress)
- Florence Turner https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Turner
- Odette Tyler https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odette_Tyler
- Elizabeth Tyree https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Tyree
U
- Geraldine Ulmar (June 23, 1862 - August 13, 1932) Born Annie Geraldine Ulmar in Charlestown, Massachusetts.
- Isabelle Urquhart (December 9, 1865 - February 7, 1907) Born in New York City.
V
- Grace Van Studdiford (January 8, 1873 - January 29, 1927) Born Grace Quivey in North Manchester, Indiana.
- Marie van Zandt (October 8 1858 - December 31, 1919) Born in Manhattan, New York City.
- Vera Freeman (1865 - 1896)
- Mary Ann Vincent (September 18, 1818 - September 4, 1887) Born in Portsmouth, England.
- Annie Von Behren (1857 - November 30, 1882) Born in New York City.
W
- Marie Wainwright
- Charlotte Walker
- Aida Overton Walker
- Blanche Walsh
- Fannie Ward
- Helen Ware
- Ida Waterman
- Stella Weaver
- Mary E. Webb
- Rebecca Weintraub
- Lucille Western
- Helen Westley
- Sarah Wheatley
- Blanche Whiffen
- Whitman Sisters
- Dora Wiley
- Bertha M. Wilson
- Jennie Worrell
X
Y
- Ellen Beach Yaw (September 14, 1869 - September 9, 1947) Born near Buffalo, New York.
- Annie Yeamans (November 19, 1835 - March 3, 1912) Born Annie Griffiths Yeamans outside of the United States.
- May Yohé (April 6, 1866 - August 29, 1938) Born Mary Augusta Yohe in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
- Rida Johnson Young (February 28, 1875 - May 8, 1926) Born in Baltimore, Maryland.
Z