Ethel Lavenu - Life and Career

Life and Career

Born in Chelsea as Eliza Lavenu, the third of six daughters of the cellist, composer, and music impresario Lewis Henry Lavenu by his wife Julia, daughter of Col. John Blossett, head of the British expedition to assist Simon Bolivar in the war of independence in Venezuela. Her father was often away on tour, and in 1855 left for Sydney leaving the family in London. In 1861 Ethel was living with her mother at 128, Long Acre, Covent Garden, she, her elder sister Ada, and younger sister Alice were all listed as Professional, and her youngest sister Bessie was also later to become an actress. She had more success than her sisters, by 1863 appearing in various plays at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, London. In 1866, she married Harold Littledale Power, the youngest son of the Irish actor Tyrone Power. She had two sons, George Arthur, born in 1868, an actor, known as Littledale Power, who later appeared on Broadway, and Frederick Tyrone Edmond, known as Tyrone Power, Sr..