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Creator
Brent, Romney, 1902-1976
Call number
*T-Mss 1998-011
Physical description
.41 lin. ft. (1 box); 2 reels of microfilm
Preferred Citation

Romney Brent Papers, *T-Mss 1998-011, Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Repository
Billy Rose Theatre Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.Restrictions apply

The Romney Brent papers document his career and contain correspondence, photographs and two scrapbooks. The collection is incomplete in that it contains only correspondence from his later years and photographs and scrapbooks from his early career. Correspondents include: Ilka Chase, Helen Hayes, Lillebil Ibsen, Alfred Lunt, Armina Marshall, Mary Martin, Cornelia Otis Skinner, Emlyn Williams and Peggy Wood. There is a large gap in the materials for the 1940s and 1950s. Some production photographs were separated to the Theatre Collection photo files. The photographs remaining in the collection are special appearances, the State Department sponsored tours and personal photographs.

Biographical/historical information

Romney Brent actor, writer, director and producer was born in Mexico in 1902. He became an actor after viewing a Theatre Guild production, having tried both engineering and the law. His first role was as an acrobat in the production He Who Gets Slapped. Brent's acting career included roles in plays such as: Peer Gynt, The Devil's Disciple, The Squall, Androcles and the Lion, in which he played The Lion, The Merchant of Venice as Launcelot Gobbo and many others.

During the 1940's he began directing as well as acting. Some productions he directed include: The Winter's Tale, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Brigadoon and a Spanish language production of The Teahouse of the August Moon. Romney Brent was a member of the State Department sponsored tour of South America in 1956, Europe and Latin America in 1961, and the Far East, with Helen Hayes, in 1965.

He wrote the comedy The Mad Hopes in 1932 and collaborated on Nymph Errant with Noel Coward. He married the actress Gina Malo in 1937 and they had one daughter. Romney Brent died in Mexico City in 1976 at the age of 74.

Scope and arrangement

The Romney BrentPapers document his career and contain correspondence, photographs and 2 scrapbooks. The collection is incomplete in that it contains correspondence only from his later years and photographs and scrapbooks from his early career. There is a large gap in the materials for the 1940's and 1950's. Some production photographs were separated to the Theatre Collection photo files. The photographs remaining in the collection are special appearances, the State Department sponsored tours and personal photographs.

The Romney Brent papers are arranged in three series:

  • Series I: Papers
    1969-1975
    .21 linear feet

    The papers consist of letters to Romney Brent from friends and business contacts in the theater. Correspondents include: Ilka Chase, Marc Connelly, Alfred Lunt, Helen Hayes, Lillian Gish, Mary Martin, Lillebel Ibsen, Armina Marshall, Cornelia Otis Skinner, Emlyn Williams and Peggy Wood, among others.

  • Series II: Photographs
    1956-1967
    .21 linear feet

    The photographs consist of publicity shots from a variety of tours and special appearances. Included are images from the US State Department Tours, as well as photographs with friends such as Helen Hayes and Peggy Wood. Of special note is the wedding photograph of Viveca Lindfors.

  • Series III: Scrapbooks (Microfilm *ZC-566)
    1933-1937
    2 scrapbooks on 2 reels of microfilm

    Scrapbooks contain clippings documenting the career of Romney Brent from 1935 to 1937. Works included are: Three Men on a Horse, Co-respondent Unknown, East Meets West, The Dominant Sex, Under the Red Robe, Dinner at the Ritz, Nymph Errant, Garrick Gaieties, Man of Destiny, Getting Married, The Inspector General, The Streets of New York, The Pillars of Society, He Who Gets Slapped and The Merchant of Venice, among others

Administrative information

Custodial history

The Romney Brent papers were donated to the Billy Rose Theatre Division in 1973. Additional materials were most likely added after the death of Romney Brent in 1976.

Source of acquisition

Gift, Romney Brent, 1973

Processing information

Processed by Mary Ellen Rogan.

Collection was reprocessed with a finding aid written in 1998.

Using the collection

Location

Billy Rose Theatre Division
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center
40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498
Third Floor

Conditions Governing Use

For permission to publish, contact the Curator, Billy Rose Theatre Division.

Access restrictions

Photocopying prohibited.

Location of originals

Originals discarded after filming