London, Nov. 23.
The death occurred to-day of Sir Arthur Wing Pinero, at the age of Born in 1855, Sir Arthur Wing Pinero was the son of John Daniel Pinero, a solicitor. In 1883, he married Myra Emily Hamilton, who died in 1918, Educated at private schools, he was an actor from June, 1874, until July, 1881, and from thay time, until his death, he was a dramatic author. He was president of the Dramatists Club and a_member of Athenaeum and the Garrick, also a member of the Academic Committee of the Royal Society of Literature and Chairman of the United Arta Rifles throughout the Great War.
It' was, however, as a dramatic author that Pinero' really made his ame and, in this connection, it may noted that his first play, which was in one act, entitled "2200 a Year," was produced at the Globe Theaize in 1877, in which year he was himself still on the stage, by RE. Carton, at that time also an actor. A. distinct! measure of success came to him in a very short while and eventually he arose to be in the minds of many almost the leading dramatic author of the day. His plays are far too numerous to give as a full lst, but there may be mentioned "Sweet Lavender," "The Cabinet Minister," "The Second Mrs. Tanqueray," and "The Gay Lord Quex:
At one period, he had aspirations towards musical plays and this ted]
a comic opera' entitled "The Beauty Stone," written in collaboration with J. Comyns Carr, and for which the music was written by Sir Arthur Sullivan. This was} produced at the Savoy in 1898. Ther was another as late as 1918—"Mon-teca's Blue Boy," a wordless play with music by Sir Frederic Cowen. He was created a knight by the late King Edward on the occasion of His. Majesty's. birthday in 1909.
Actors and actresses, it was said, feared Pinero. He used to sit in the front rows and thunder out orders Uke a general directing hie soldiers. If there were any voice inflections the play, as finally produced, the inflections were as Sir Arthur himself would have produced them, and not the actor might think they should be done. In later years, he seldom appeared in public, except at a crickey match now and then. This was his chief Feereation. Arthur Pinero didn't attend the big matches where there Would be tens of thousands of spectators, but was fond of seeking out Second oF third class matches on the village greens~ Reuter and Special.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.