Viola Tree (1884–1938)

Viola Tree was born in London to a prominent theatrical and literary family, the eldest of the three daughters of Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and his wife Helen Maud Tree (Holt). Her aunt Constance Beerbohm was a writer, as were her uncles Max Beerbohm and Julius Beerbohm. Her sister Iris Tree also became a writer. She grew up immersed in London's cultural and scene and was educated privately in London and in Europe. She originally wanted to become a singer, but instead followed her parents' footsteps into the theatre, making her London stage debut in 1904. Over the next four years, she appeared in her father's productions at His Majesty's Theatre. She was best known for her Shakespeare roles, which included Hero in Much Ado about Nothing, Ariel in The Tempest, Ophelia in Hamlet, Perdita in The Winter's Tale, and Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream. She did sing opera for a time, making her debut in the title role of Iphigénie en Tauride in 1910, but returned to the theatre. In 1912, she married Alan Parsons, a drama critic, with whom she had three children. She toured the USA in 1930–31, and played light comedies in the West End of London. She made four films between 1920 and 1938, including Pygmalion (1938). In 1930, she directed La Piccola by Massimo Bontempelli in the original Italian, and in 1934 directed Rameau's opera Castor et Pollux for the Oxford University Opera Club. She also wrote plays, beginning with The Dancers (1923), in collaboration with Gerald du Maurier, under their joint pseudonym Hubert Parsons. Her memoirs, Castles in the Air, appeared in 1926, and her book of etiquette advice, Can I Help You? was published in 1937. She also wrote a novel, a biography of her husband, and an anthology, Alan Parsons' Book (1937).