Meggie Albanesi

She was born in London on 8 October 1899. Her father was Italian-born Carlo Albanesi (1856–1926), a pianist and teacher at the Royal Academy of Music, while her mother was Effie Adelaide Rowlands (1859–1936), a writer who published over 250 romance novels and short stories.^[1]

Albanesi attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art where she was awarded the Bancroft Medal.^[2] She enjoyed a short but successful theatre career, appearing in plays such as John Galsworthy's The First and the Last, opposite Owen Nares, and The School for Scandal and Mr. Todd's Experiment. She was soon being hailed by critics as one of the brightest prospects in British acting.^[3]

In 1920 she appeared as Jill in Galsworthy's play The Skin Game, and played the same role in the 1921 film of the play. In 1921 Albanesi starred as Sydney Fairfield in Clemence Dane's first and most famous play, A Bill of Divorcement, and in 1922 played Mabel Dancy in Galsworthy's play Loyalties which ran for nearly a year at the St Martin's Theatre. Albanesi appeared in six films^[4] between 1919 and 1922 including The Romance of Old Bill, Darby and Joan and Mr. Wu.^[1]

Albanesi died at the age of 24 in Broadstairs, Kent, on 9 December 1923, after emergency abdominal surgery^[5] caused by intestinal obstruction due to inflammatory adhesions. This was allegedly a consequence of an illegal abortion.^[6][7] She was buried in St Pancras and Islington Cemetery in north London.^[8]

Albanesi had a relationship with the theatre and film producer Basil Dean, who continued to be obsessed with her after her death.^[9] Dean was first attracted to his wife, the actress Victoria Hopper, because of her physical resemblance to Albanesi and cast her in a number of his productions. His final film as a director 21 Days was based on a play, The First and the Last, on which he had worked with Albanesi.^[10]

Dean commissioned Eric Gill to create a memorial plaque to Albanesi, which can be seen in the foyer of the St Martin's Theatre, West Street, London.^[11] Her friend Noël Coward dedicated the first published text of his play The Rat Trap to the "dear memory of Meggie Albanesi" in 1924.^[1]