Herbert Beerbohm Tree

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Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (December 17, 1853 - July 2, 1917) was an English actor-manager. Born in London, he was the half-brother of Max Beerbohm, his father Julius Beerbohm being a businessman with a German background.

Educated in Germany, he went on the stage in 1876 on his return to England, where he was noted for his Falstaff. By 1887 he was running the Haymarket Theatre in the West End of London. Ten years later, he was responsible for the construction of His Majesty's Theatre, also in the West End. He played many of the leading roles in his own elaborate productions, which included the premiere of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, in 1914.

He married Helen Maud Holt (1863-1937), who acted as Lady Tree and often played opposite him, in 1882. Iris Tree, the poet and actress, and the actress Viola Tree were their daughters. Tree fathered several illegitimate children, including film director Carol Reed and Peter Reed, the father of actor Oliver Reed.

He founded the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1904 and was knighted in 1909.de:Herbert Beerbohm Tree pt:Herbert Beerbohm Tree sv:Herbert Beerbohm Tree