Alfred Asher Klein (May 12, 1861 – February 21, 1904)[1] was an English-born stage actor, singer and comedian who appeared in operettas and musical theatre in America in the late 19th century.
Alfred Klein | |
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Born | Norwich, England | May 12, 1861
Died | March 4, 1926 Amityville, New York, United States | (aged 64)
Spouse | Rachel |
Klein was born in Norwich, England in 1861, and emigrated to the United States as a young man. He had five brothers: the dramatist Charles, the composer Manuel, the music critic Herman, the violinist Max, and Philip. They had a sister, Adelaide.[2] His first appearances on stage included Sir Joseph in a juvenile production of H.M.S. Pinafore in 1879,[3] and a role with the traveling company of Only a Farmer's Daughter around 1881.
Small in stature,[4] Klein's notable roles included Buttons in The Rajah in 1883, where he had to fall into a tank of water in the third act. In 1891, he appeared in the musical Wang with DeWolf Hopper,[5] and in 1896 in the operetta El Capitan.[6][7]
Klein died in Amityville, New York, on February 21, 1904, after a three-year illness, survived by his wife and two children.[8][9][10]