Julia Mathews
Julia Matthews or Julia Mathews (14 December 1842 – 19 May 1876)[1] was an English actress and singer who was popular on the stage, particularly in Melbourne.
Life
[edit | edit source]Matthews was born in London in 1842.[2] Her parents were Sarah (born Irviner) and James Mathews. Her father was a sailor who also made artificial flowers. The family moved to Sydney where she made her debut on the stage of the Royal Victoria Theatre.[3]
She received and refused a marriage proposal from Robert O'Hara Burke in 1860, shortly before the Burke and Wills expedition. Burke had made her his sole heir.[4] She was one of the first to call for a search party.[3] Matthews died aged just 33, in St. Louis, Missouri.[5]
She was played by Greta Scacchi in Burke & Wills (1985) and by Nicole Kidman in Wills & Burke (1985).
It has been claimed that the film actress Jessie Matthews (1907–1981) was a descendant.[6]
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Works By. austlit.edu.au
- ^ Works By. austlit.edu.au
- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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- ^ Works By. austlit.edu.au
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External links
[edit | edit source]- Portrait at National Portrait Gallery
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