Did you know the celebrated American opera singer and composer Amanda Aldridge pioneered her field? She blazed the trail for African-American women in classical music and fought against discrimination. We’ve rounded up some exciting facts about Amanda Aldridge that you may have yet to hear to honor her accomplishments and inspiring story. Keep reading from her awards to her earliest performances to learn more about this visible historical figure!
Amanda began her stage career at the age of four.
Amanda Aldridge began her stage career at age four when she debuted in The Wizard of Oz production. She continued to perform in various productions throughout her childhood and adolescence, honing her skills as an actress. Amanda’s first professional acting gig came at 18 when she landed a role in the independent film The Doorman. She has since appeared in several films and television shows, including the critically acclaimed series Mad Men. Amanda is a versatile actress equally adept at comedic and dramatic roles. In addition to her work in film and television, she has also appeared onstage, most notably in a production of Romeo and Juliet at the Old Vic Theatre in London.
She was the only child of parents who were both stage actors.
Amanda Aldridge was the only child of her parents, both stage actors. Her father, Ira Frederick Aldridge, was an African-American actor who performed mainly in England and Europe; her mother, Margaret Amalthea Goveia, was a white British actress. Amanda’s parents met while performing in a production of Shakespeare’s Othello in 1833; they married two years later.
Amanda inherited her parents’ love of acting and appeared on stage from a young age. She made her professional debut at age eight in a production of The Merchant of Venice, playing the role of a boy. She went on to have a successful career as an actress, appearing in numerous plays and operas.
In 1854, Amanda married fellow actor Walter Montagu-Smith; the couple had three children together. Amanda continued to perform throughout her life, even after she became a mother. She died at the age of eighty-three in London.
The couple had two children, one of whom died in infancy.
The couple had two children, one of whom died in infancy. The surviving child, a daughter named Emily, was born in 1848. Amanda and her husband died in 1849, just a year after their daughter’s birth.
She was the only child of William and Catherine Aldridge.
Amanda Aldridge was an only child, born to William and Catherine Aldridge. She was a gifted musician from a young age and began performing in public at eight. She went on to study music at the Royal Academy of Music in London and later toured Europe as a professional concert pianist.
Aldridge was also a successful composer, writing stage and screen music. Her most famous composition is the theme song for the popular British television series Upstairs, Downstairs. She also wrote several pieces for piano, including her best-known work, The Lark Ascending.
Amanda Aldridge was an outspoken advocate for racial equality and civil rights throughout her life. Later, she patronized the African National Congress and worked tirelessly to promote understanding between black and white people in her native South Africa.
Amanda’s parents died when she was very young.
Amanda Aldridge was born in London, England, on July 5th, 1867. Her parents died when she was young, and her grandparents raised her. Amanda began playing the piano at a young age and gave her first public performance when she was six. She later went on to study music at the Royal Academy of Music.
In 1887, Amanda married fellow musician Oscar Straus, and the two of them toured Europe together. They eventually settled in Berlin, where Amanda became a successful piano teacher. She also continued to perform and compose music; her best-known composition is “The Sea Shell, ” published in 1895.
Amanda and Oscar had four children; their eldest daughter, Elfriede, also became a successful musician. Oscar died in 1914, and Amanda died just five years later.
