Laura Joyce Bell (original) (raw)

Laura Joyce Bell (née Maskell; 6 May 1854 – 30 May 1904) was an English-American actress and contralto singer mostly associated with Edwardian musical comedy and light opera. After beginning her career as Laura Joyce in concerts and theatre in Britain, she moved to the United States in 1872 where she earned good notices in the spectacular shows at Niblo's Garden. With a success in the title role of Evangeline (1875), a season in East coast cities with John T. Ford, and seasons at Daly's Broadway Theatre and the Bijou Opera House, among others, her career was established. She married the American comedian Digby Bell, with whom she frequently appeared with over the last two decades of her career. The two appeared extensively with the McCaull Comic Opera Company in Gilbert and Sullivan, Offen