Background
Born in Liverpool to William Alfred Whitty (c. 1837–1876) and Mary Louisa (née Ashton, ca. 1837–1894), she made her first stage appearance in Liverpool in 1881, later moving to London to appear on the West End.
She married the actor-manager Ben Webster in 1892 in St Giles' Parish Church, London and in 1895 they visited the United States where Whitty appeared on Broadway. Their first child, a son, died at birth. Their only surviving child, a daughter born in the USA in 1905, Margaret Webster, was a stage actress and held dual US/UK citizenship. Whitty's stage career continued for the rest of her life. In March 1910, she made her transition to middle-aged and elderly character roles, playing Amelia Madras in Harley Granville-Barker's four act comedy The Madras House.
In 1918 she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE, gazetted under her legal married name Mary Louise Webster) in recognition of her charitable work during World War I. She was the first film and stage actress to receive a damehood, along with opera singer Nellie Melba, who were both so honoured in 1918.
Read more about this topic: May Whitty
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