{{Short description|English actress}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} '''Sophie Larkin''' (1833–1903)<ref name=npg>{{NPG name|id=128006}}</ref> was an English actress of the late Victorian era. She created roles in plays by T. W. Robertson and in the long-running play ''Our Boys'' by H. J. Byron.
==Life== Larkin's London debut was in 1865 at the Prince of Wales's Theatre in ''Naval Engagements''. At the same theatre she subsequently appeared in leading roles in the original productions of plays by T. W. Robertson: in November 1865 as Lady Ptarmigant in ''Society''; in September 1866 as Lady Shendryn in ''Ours''; and in April 1867 as the Marquise de Saint-Maur in ''Caste''.<ref name=list>"Larkin, Sophie". Charles E Pascoe, editor. ''The Dramatic List: a record of the performances of living actors and actresses of the British stage''. 1880.</ref> Robertson in these plays wrote the parts to suit the resident actors and actresses.<ref>George Taylor. ''Players and Performances in the Victorian Theatre''. Manchester University Press, 1989. Page 113</ref>
In January 1868 at St James's Theatre she created the part of Mrs Erskine Meek in ''The Needful'', a comedy by H. T. Craven, and in the following month appeared in a revival of Craven's ''The Chimney Corner'' at the same theatre. Later that year she joined the company of Fanny Josephs at the Holborn Theatre, and appeared there in April in ''The White Fawn'' by F. C. Burnand, and in 1869 in a revival of Craven's ''Miriam's Crime''. In April 1870 she appeared at St James's Theatre in ''Frou-Frou'', produced by Mademoiselle Beatrice. In October 1871 she appeared at the Globe Theatre in the original production of ''Partners for Life'' by H. J. Byron.<ref name=list/>
In 1874, 1879 and 1880 Larkin appeared in West End productions of ''Two Roses'', by James Albery.<ref>Scott, Clement. "Our Play-Box", ''The Theatre'', March 1, 1882, p. 167</ref> From January 1875 Larkin was in the original production of H. J. Byron's ''Our Boys'', at the Vaudeville Theatre, originating the role of Clarissa Champneys. The play ran for an unprecedented 1362 nights; she continued in the role throughout the run.<ref name=list/><ref>[http://www.stagebeauty.net/th-frames.html?http&&&www.stagebeauty.net/th-longr.html "Longest Running Plays in London and New York"] ''Stagebeauty.net''. Retrieved 26 December 2021.</ref> The play was eventually replaced by Byron's ''The Girls'', in which she created the part of Mrs Clench.<ref name=list/>
During the following years she appeared in 1884 at the Lyceum Theatre in a revival of ''Pygmalion and Galatea'' by W. S. Gilbert;<ref>[https://gsarchive.net/gilbert/plays/pygmalion/times_reviews/times1884.html "Pygmalion and Galatea, by W. S. Gilbert"], ''The Gibert and Sullivan Archive''. Retrieved 26 December 2021.</ref> and in 1894–1895 at the Adelphi Theatre in ''The Fatal Card'' by C. Haddon Chambers.<ref>[https://theatricalia.com/play/220/fatal-card/production/502 "Fatal Card"] ''Theatricalia''. Retrieved 26 December 2021.</ref>
Larkin died in 1903.<ref name=npg/> An obiturarist wrote that she was "longtime a popular old woman actress on the London stage. ... In her time she could adapt herself equally well to the antique comic or modern humorous style of character. No comedy was too old or too new for Sophie Larkin to seem natural and happy in her part."<ref>[https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-659229206/view?sectionId=nla.obj-664380034&partId=nla.obj-659279588#page/n38/mode/1up Obituary] ''The Bulletin'', Vol. 24 No. 1235 (15 October 1903), via Trove.</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Larkin, Sophie}} Category:1833 births Category:1903 deaths Category:19th-century English actresses Category:Women of the Victorian era