George Darrell

{{short description|Australian playwright}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}

George Frederick Price Darrell (1851–1921) was an Australian playwright best known for The Sunny South (1883), which was made into a film The Sunny South or The Whirlwind of Fate.[http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/darrell-george-frederick-price-3369 'Darrell, George Frederick Price (1851–1921)'] Van Der Poorten, Helen M.; Australian Dictionary of Biography; National Centre of Biography; Australian National University; accessed 6 December 2013.

File:George Darrell 1869 State Library Victoria.jpg

Darrell began his professional career with Simonsen's Opera Company in New Zealand; but, on migrating to Melbourne, took to the regular dramatic profession, earning some distinction as a juvenile supporter of the once idolised Walter Montgomery. He married Mrs. Robert Heir (née Fanny Cathcart), the admirable tragédienne, and subsequently visited professionally America and England, where, at the Grand Theatre, Islington, he produced his play The Sunny South.{{cite Australasia|Darrel, George}}

His last play, The Land of Gold was staged by Charles Holloway at the Criterion Theatre, Sydney in 1907.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article126256107 |title=Criterion — "Land of Gold" |newspaper=The Sunday Times (Sydney) |issue=1140 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=24 November 1907 |accessdate=25 July 2021 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}}

In 1878 he formed the "Australian Dramatic Company",{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article107943941 |title=Important Victorian News. |newspaper=The Evening News (Sydney) |issue=3443 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=29 July 1878 |accessdate=11 June 2021 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}} which name was subsequently used by Alfred Dampier, but the connection between the two, if any, has not been found.

Darrell's body was washed ashore at Dee Why on 29 January 1921. He had died by drowning, found to be suicide as evidenced by the note he left for his landlady, Mrs Barnet.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article121168996 |title=George Darrell's Death |newspaper=Referee |issue=1770 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=9 February 1921 |accessdate=25 July 2021 |page=15 |via=National Library of Australia}}

As a playwright his name has been confused with that of Charles Darrell, author of When London Sleeps,{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article21267472 |title=The Stage |newspaper=The Queenslander |volume=LXI |issue=1352 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=19 October 1901 |accessdate=25 July 2021 |page=771 (Unknown) |via=National Library of Australia}} The Power and the Glory{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article19058114 |title=Evening Entertainments |newspaper=The Brisbane Courier |volume=LVI |issue=13,138 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=20 February 1900 |accessdate=25 July 2021 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}} and Defender of the Faith.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article183920288 |title=Music and Drama. |newspaper=The Week |volume=XLIX |issue=1,256 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=19 January 1900 |accessdate=25 July 2021 |page=31 |via=National Library of Australia}}