Herbert Beerbohm Tree - Definition and Overview

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 1876on 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 had often played opposite him, in 1882. Iris Tree, the poet and actress, and the actress Viola Tree were their daughters.

He founded the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1904.