Actor and theatre manager. Born at 2 Pembridge Villas. Max Beerbohm was his half-brother and cousin. Founded Her Majesty's Theatre in 1897 and ran it until his death. Founded the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1904. Married but fathered a number of illegitimate children including, with May Pinney Reed, the film director Carol Reed, and the father of actor Oliver Reed. Died at a nursing home at 15 Henrietta Street, Marylebone.
In 1899 he made the first film record of a Shakespeare play. In 1916 he was in Hollywood to film MacBeth for D. W. Griffith. On a BBC radio programme, 'An Excellent Dumb Discourse', we learnt that Tree insisted on being filmed reciting whole long speeches, film that would never be used and was expensive. The production crew solved the problem by setting up two cameras, only one of which was, sparingly, using film. It's a good story - hope it's true.
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