Edmund Payne

Edmund James "Teddy"[1] Payne (14 December 1863 – 15 July 1914),[2] was an English actor, comedian and singer best known for creating comic roles in a series of extremely successful Edwardian musical comedies.

He spent more than two decades at the Gaiety, using his diminutive stature, malleable features, distinctive lisp and comic dance ability to his advantage.

[3] Payne made his professional stage debut as Friday in an adaptation of Robinson Crusoe at Market Harborough, in 1880.

He followed this with a role in Don Juan (1893) and gave a popular performance as Mr. Miggles in The Shop Girl (1894) that widened his reputation.

[5] Payne created roles in a string of musical comedy hits in the early years of the new century, including Tommy Bang in The Messenger Boy (1900), Sammy Gigg in The Toreador (1902), Meakin in The Orchid (1903), Mr. Girdle in The Spring Chicken (1905), Tippin in The New Aladdin (1906), Max Moddelkopf in The Girls of Gottenberg (1907), Timothy Gibbs in Our Miss Gibbs (1909), Albert Umbles in Peggy (1911), and Floot in his last show at the Gaiety, The Sunshine Girl (1912), in which he appeared until 1913.

[15] A commemorative blue plaque was erected to Payne in 2017 at his last home in Hampstead by The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America.