May Irwin(1862-1938)
- Actress
Born in Whitby, Ontario, May Irwin
started her performing career at a young age, when she began a singing
act with her younger sister Flora in 1874. The act was popular, and
Irwin began working as an actress when she was 21 years old. She found
success and was appearing in a Broadway show called "The Widow Jones"
when Thomas A. Edison saw her and
co-star John C. Rice exchanging a kiss
on-stage. He hired them to do the same in one of his films,
The Kiss (1896). This marked the first
kiss in cinematic history. After participating in this milestone moment
in film history, Irwin continued to be a popular performer and appeared
in one more film, the silent feature
Mrs. Black Is Back (1914).
