Lillian Kemble (néeSchmidt) (fl. 1900–1922) was an American stage and silent film actress. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,[1][a] to Karl (Carl) Schmidt, a German immigrant comedian and theatre manager, she made her first stage appearance at the age of 10, performing in German and English. She made her English-language debut at the Lyceum Theatre in Denver, and worked in several stock companies throughout the country. She made a name for herself on Broadway starring in George Broadhurst's 1906 original The Man of the Hour.[3][4][5] She was leading lady for two seasons with the Castle Square Theatre company in Boston before joining the Poli Theatre Company in Washington, D.C.[1][6] She also appeared in silent films, including a chief supporting role in The House of Mirrors (1916) with Frank Mills.[7]
In 1898 she married the actor-singer Will S. Rising.[8][5] They divorced in 1905, and a year later Kemble was co-respondent in the divorce case of fellow actor Charles D. Mackay and Georgie Elliott Porter, daughter of novelist Linn Boyd Porter.[9] Kemble and Mackay were married shortly afterwards.[10][11]