(1821-1904)
Born Anne Hartley in London, England, the character actress began as a dancer in the corps de ballet at Her Majesty's and Drury Lane Theatres. In 1846, she married dancer George Henry Gilbert, and three years later, they immigrated to America. By 1851, they were performing with a Chicago company. In 1861, she played Lady Macbeth opposite Edwin Booth during his brief engagement in Louisville. After her New York debut in 1864, Mrs. Gilbert's career as a performer of eccentric woman roles became well established, marred only by the death of her husband in 1867. From 1869 until her death, with only a three-year hiatus (1877-1880), she acted in Augustin Daly's company in New York, becoming familiarly known as "Grandma Gilbert." Her memoir, The Stage Reminiscences of Mrs. Gilbert, was published in 1901.
The Historical Dictionary of the American Theater. James Fisher.