Born in Bath Street, Wivenhoe, Essex, he was the son of John Harvey, a yacht-designer and shipbuilder, and Margaret Diana Mary (née Goyder). His father expected him to follow his own profession, but Martin Harvey had his sights set on the stage. One of his father's clients was the dramatistW.S. Gilbert, and it was through Gilbert that young Martin Harvey met his first teacher, John Ryder.[3]
After Irving's death in 1905, Martin Harvey continued to revive his old manager's plays, often using Irving's own props which he had bought. These plays included The Bells and The Lyons Mail. His early successes included Pelleas in Maeterlinck's Pelleas and Melisande, with Mrs. Patrick Campbell as Melisande and incidental music written for the production by Gabriel Fauré. His later successes included A Cigarette-maker's Romance, Oedipus (in Max Reinhardt's Covent Garden production), Shaw's The Devil's Disciple and Maeterlinck's The Burgomaster of Stilemonde. By the time he retired, Martin Harvey claimed to have performed The Only Way more than 3,000 times, though this would not have been possible in reality.[3]
Early on in Irving's company, when cast as the attendant to the messenger in the scene with Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, Martin Harvey decided that here was his opportunity to be more than a mere extra with a non-speaking part. "I bought a remarkable feather", he explained, "and wore it in my hat, and on the day of the dress rehearsal I painted on my face a very elaborate moustache. Alas! my efforts were unavailing. I expect in Irving critical eyes I was a figure of fun. Irving pointed his lean forefinger at me, and with that dreadful preliminary, 'Ha, hm,' of his, he growled. Take out that boy.' I had to come on with the crowd as usual."[4]
John Martin-Harvey in 1899John Martin-Harvey as Sidney Carton (1899)
"The Only Way"
Martin Harvey and his wife Angelita worked on an adaptation of A Tale of Two Cities, later involving playwright Freeman Wills and Irish clergyman Canon Frederick Langbridge. There was already a play called Sidney Carton, or a Tale of Two Cities and it was Angelita who came up with the title The Only Way.[4]
The Only Way was made into a film in 1927 shot at Twickenham Studios and was a commercial success. It starred Martin Harvey in the lead role.
Business interests
One of Martin Harvey's personal friends was theatre manager, William Morton. In 1902 Morton's Ltd was formed to build the Alexandra Theatre in Hull. Martin Harvey was made one of five directors, investing £1,000, and remained so until the theatre was sold in 1935. Martin Harvey and his touring company paid an annual visit to Hull and to Morton's theatres, which also included the Theatre Royal and The Grand Opera House.[5]
First World War
During the First World War, Martin Harvey and his wife toured the country giving military recruitment lectures and raising money for the Red Cross and other charities, most notably the Nation's Fund for Nurses. The couple raised enough money to buy a building for the College of Nursing in 1920, which became a rest home for nurses.[3]
