Biography
She was born as Delia Crehan in County Limerick, Ireland, and brought to the United States at about the age of six years. She was misbilled as Ada C. Rehan and the name stuck.
Her acting career began early with some minor parts as a child, then her activities increased in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at Mrs. Drew's theatre from 1873 to 1875.
Subsequently, she appeared in Baltimore, Albany, and other cities with John W. Albaugh's company. When Augustin Daly opened his New York theatre in 1879, she joined his company, and continued to work with Daly until his death twenty years later. Ada Rehan was widely admired in Europe, having acted in Paris, Berlin, Hamburg, London, Edinburgh, Dublin, and Stratford-on-Avon.
Miss Rehan was the model for a solid silver statue of Justice that was presented as part of the State of Montana's mining exhibition at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.
She retired from the stage in 1906 and made New York City her home until her death there in 1916.
More than 25 years after she died a WWII liberty ship was named after her, USS Ada Rehan.
Read more about this topic: Ada Rehan
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