BIO

Zeffie Tilbury was born Zeffie Agnes Lydia Tilbury in London, England, in 1863.   Her mother was the famous 19th century British burlesque entertainer Lydia Thompson.   Her father, a riding instructor, was killed in a horse-racing accident when she was an infant.   Tilbury married Arthur Lewis in 1887, but left him to pursue a career in the theatre.

Tilbury made her West End stage debut in 1901, at the age of 38. She moved to the New York stage, making her Broadway debut in 1904.   She would appear in New York City for 11 more productions through 1925.

Tilbury appeared in her first silent picture in 1917 for Astra Films. Although she appeared in several silent movies during the 1920s, it was the advent of sound in the 1930s that gave impetus to her film career.   She appeared in 70 features between 1917 and 1942 before retiring from the motion picture industry.

Tilbury was also married to L.E. Woodthorpe until his death in 1915.

She died in Los Angeles, in 1950, at the age of 86.

Additional English stage history is available at:

Additional Broadway stage history is available at:

Additional biographical information is available at:

NOTED FILMS