Frederick Lonsdale

Hélène Catsiapis (École Centrale de Lille)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.08: English Writing and Culture of the early Twentieth Century , 1900-1945.
Vol. editors: Chris Baldick (Goldsmiths College, University of London), Peter Childs (Birmingham Newman University), Nicole Kennedy (University of Newcastle), Louise McDonald (Birmingham Newman University), Andrew Radford (University of Glasgow)

Dates

Born 5 Feb 1881
Died 4 Apr 1954
Activity 1908-1954

Places

Born in England
Active in England

Activities

Primary

Playwright / Dramatist

Resources

Lonsdale's Works

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The author of 15 comedies and of as many musical plays, Frederick Lonsdale was the son of a tobacconist on the Isle of Jersey. He began his career with a series of librettos for musical comedies, the most famous of which were

The Maid of the Mountains

(1917); and

Monsieur Beaucaire

(1919) which was based on Booth Tarkington’s novel with music by André Messager. In 1923, Evelyn Laye played the title-role in his

Madame Pompadour

, a musical written in collaboration with Harry Graham and set to music by Leo Fall.

After 1923, Frederick Lonsdale turned mainly to social comedies dealing with the problems of marriage in high society. His works have often been compared with those of Somerset Maugham. In fact, his light comedies, with their epigrammatic wit and elegance, are more similar, albeit

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332 words

Citation: Catsiapis, Hélène. "Frederick Lonsdale". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 06 August 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2788, accessed 20 April 2025.]