Mary Shaw

Mary Shaw (1854–May 18, 1929) was an American suffragette, early feminist, playwright and actress.Shaw was involved in the womens movement since the early 1890s, and in 1892 she became a member of the Professional Womens League. She played many controversial roles in her career as an actress, and was involved in some of the most controversial plays of her time such as Henrik Ibsens Ghosts and Hedda Gabler, George Bernard Shaws (no relation) Mrs. Warrens Profession and many female suffrage plays.Shaw, along with actress Jessie Bonstelle, designed the Womans National Theatre in the early twentieth century.Shaw married Henry Leach in 1879 and he died two and a half years later. She then married musician Gustave Krollman who also died shortly after. She was the mother of Broadway actor Arthur Shaw (1881-1946). Shaw suffered and eventually died from heart disease. The Cradle Song was her last appearance on stage as a result of the illness.

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