Neil Burgess
Neil Burgess (1846, Boston, Massachusetts – 1910) was an American Vaudevillian comedian who specialized in female impersonation of elderly "widders. " He started his unusual career at age 19 when called on to fill in for an ailing actress in The Quiet Family in Providence, Rhode Island. His greatest success was Widow Bedott in 1879. He also produced and starred as Auntie Abigail Prue in Charles Barnard's play The County Fair in 1889. Burgess was also interested in inventions tied to the stage and backed a turntable device that allowed horses to run at full speed on stage, and another device that simulated the sound of a large crowd.
