# Gilbert Sarony

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**Gilbert Sarony** (c.1858December 15, 1910) was a Canadian-born comedian and [female impersonator](/source/Female_impersonation) in [vaudeville](/source/Vaudeville) as well as early [Edison Manufacturing](/source/Edison_Manufacturing),[1] [American Mutoscope](/source/American_Mutoscope), and [Siegmund Lubin](/source/Siegmund_Lubin) films. Some sources use the spelling **Saroni**. In his obituary in *Variety* he was described as one of the first impersonators of the "[old maid](/source/Old_maid)" type and was said to be "considered one of the funniest men in the show business."[2]

He was born in [Toronto](/source/Toronto) in about 1858, and in 1881 was recorded as working in England as a comedian with the Australian Mammoth Minstrels troupe.[3][4] He later performed in the United States. His vaudeville performances included [minstrel shows](/source/Minstrel_show) where he donned [blackface](/source/Blackface) using burnt cork and mimicked [African-American](/source/African_Americans) characters.[5] He also performed with song and dance team Kelly and Waters.[6] He appeared in a series of early Edison films with Old Maid in the title and had catchphrases.[5]

His performances used pronounced facial expressions for levity.[7]

He was a best man at [Annie Hindle](/source/Annie_Hindle)'s wedding.[8] He died of [uremia](/source/Uremia) in [Pittsburgh](/source/Pittsburgh) on December 15, 1910, at the stated age of 52.[2]

## Filmography

- *How Bridget Made the Fire* (1900)
- *The Finish of Bridget McKeen* (1901)
- *Old Maid in the Drawing Room* (1901)[9]
- *[The Old Maid Having Her Picture Taken](/source/The_Old_Maid_Having_Her_Picture_Taken)* (1901)
- *The Old Maid in the Horsecar* (1901)
- *Gilbert Saroni Preparing for His Act* (1903), a [Siegmund Lubin](/source/Siegmund_Lubin) film
- *The Old Maid’s Lament* (1903)
- *Burglar and Old Maid* (1903)
- *Country Sport and Old Maid* (1903)
- *The Farmer and the Old Maid* (1903)
- *Giddy Old Maid* (1903)
- *Old Maid Courtship* (1903)
- *Old Maid’s Ballet Dance* (1903)
- *The Old Maid’s Lament* (1903)
- *Old Maid’s Morning Greeting* (1903)
- *Old Maid's First Visit to a Theater* (1903)[5]

## References

1. Moore, F. Michael (July 7, 1994). [*Drag!: Male and Female Impersonators on Stage, Screen and Television: An Illustrated World History*](https://books.google.com/books?id=mP5kAAAAMAAJ&q=gilbert+sarony). McFarland & Company Incorporated Pub. ISBN 9780899509969. – via Google Books.

1. Slide, Anthony (March 12, 2012). [*The Encyclopedia of Vaudeville*](https://books.google.com/books?id=Hu3nNSmRjZ0C&q=%22gilbert+sarony%22&pg=PA173). Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781617032509. – via Google Books.

1. *Liverpool Mercury*, 2 June 1881

1. 1881 England Census, Wigan, Lancashire

1. ["AFI|Catalog"](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/42476). *catalog.afi.com*

1. [*Variety*](https://archive.org/details/variety09-1908-02). Variety Publishing Company. July 7, 1908. p. [15](https://archive.org/details/variety09-1908-02/page/n14). – via Internet Archive. gilbert sarony.

1. Musser, Charles (January 1, 1991). [*Before the Nickelodeon: Edwin S. Porter and the Edison Manufacturing Company*](https://archive.org/details/beforenickelodeo0000muss). University of California Press. p. [169](https://archive.org/details/beforenickelodeo0000muss/page/169). ISBN 9780520069862. – via Internet Archive. gilbert saroni.

1. Croix, St Sukie de la (July 11, 2012). [*Chicago Whispers: A History of LGBT Chicago before Stonewall*](https://books.google.com/books?id=44lheqlq-jYC&q=gilbert+sarony&pg=PA45). University of Wisconsin Pres. ISBN 9780299286934. – via Google Books.

1. Strauven, Wanda (July 7, 2006). [*The Cinema of Attractions Reloaded*](https://books.google.com/books?id=FW5ZAQAAQBAJ&q=gilbert+sarony&pg=PA392). Amsterdam University Press. ISBN 9789053569450. – via Google Books.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Gilbert Sarony](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_Sarony) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_Sarony?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.