Sir George Alexander was the son of a Scottish manufacturer, he made his acting debut at Nottingham and after some seasons in the provinces, he made his first London appearance as Caleb Deecie in Two Roses in 1881 at the Lyceum. In 1891, he took over management of the St James’ Theatre. That year, Oscar Wilde arranged for Alexander to produce and act in the first production of Lady Windermere’s Fan. Alexander went on to produce many other plays. These included a number that were highly successful, including Wilde’s The Importance of being Earnest and A.W. Pinero’s Second Mrs Tanqueray. Henry James’s famously disastrous production of Guy Domville was produced at the St James’ Theatre in 1895. Reference: The National Portrait Gallery
Sir George Alexander (George Samson) by Unknown photographer albumen print, 1880s-1890s
Reference: The National Portrait Gallery
Photographic print of Mrs Patrick Campbell and Mr George Alexander from a production of The Second Mrs. Tanqueray, by Arthur W. Pinero, photographed by Alfred Ellis, St. James Theatre, London 1893.
Photographic print of Mrs. Patrick Campbell and Mr. George Alexander from a production of The Second Mrs. Tanqueray, by Arthur W. Pinero, photographed by Alfred Ellis, St. James Theatre, London 1893. The photograph features Alexander as Aubrey Tanqueray who is sitting at a small dining table looking at Campbell as Paula.
Reference: © Victoria and Albert Museum
