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Nora Cecil born Dorothy Eleanor Cecil
(1878–1951), was an English immigrant who played the
role of Abdallah in Mr. Bluebeard at the
Iroquois Theater. On Broadway, the role had been
played by Norma Kopp. Nora performed in The Toreador
in the first half of 1903, then contracted with
Bluebeard when the company went on the road.
Abdallah was one of Bluebeard's servants in the 1903
version of the tale, but in some productions,
Abdallah is Bluebeard's name.
Cecil had come to America in the fall of 1901 to
perform the role of Algie in another
Klaw & Erlanger production, Sleeping Beauty
and the Beast. Like Bluebeard, it had
opened at the Knickerbocker.
Nora was probably the daughter of Philip Balfour Cecil and
Ellen Webb (1861–).
Nothing was reported about Nora's escape from the Iroquois
Theater. See seems to have been exceptionally
private throughout her career.
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In the years after the fire
Nora is thought to have married realtor Russell C. Evans
(1877–1949) in 1904. If so, they had two children,
Dorothy (1907–1989) and Kenneth (1912–2004).
In 1916 Cecil graduated from the stage to silent
films, then on to talkies. She brought her hallmark
sour old woman character to hundreds of films,
appearing with such headliners as John Wayne, W. C.
Fields, Gary Cooper, Shirley Temple, Fredric March,
Jack Benny, Mickey Rooney, Rosalind Russell, and
Spencer Tracy.
In 1930 Dorothy Cecil, Nora's daughter, launched a
short-lived acting career. She eventually married an
interior decorator and had children.
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Discrepancies and addendum
Notes:
Some portions of this information came from
genealogical sites that failed to verify to my
satisfaction that it applies to the Nora Cecil of
stage and film. The iffy portions involve her
parents and husband.
According to a Brooklyn
newspaper the role of Abdallah was played in
Chicago by
Nellie Lynch rather than by Nora but another
report said that on December 30, 1903 Nellie was
performing for only the second time in Mr.
Bluebeard. Possibly Lynch came in as a
substitute for Nora, or played another role.
* In a 1917 silent film,
The Wild Girl, Nora went by Norah Cecile.
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