Edward Le Roy Rice


Edward LeRoy Rice was an American producer of minstrel shows. He was the leading authority on the history of minstrel shows. He also bought and sold theatrical memorabilia.

Biography

He was born in Manhattan, New York City on August 24, 1871 as the second son of William Henry Rice, a minstrel performer. He first performed on stage in Morristown, New Jersey on July 18, 1890.
He married Emma Rodenberger in Brooklyn, New York City on November 30, 1899. Starting in 1907 he wrote a column called "Man in the Bleachers" which ran in the New York Evening World for five weeks.
He was the author of Monarchs of Minstrelsy in 1911. He wrote a syndicated column for Press Publishing called "Anecdotes of Old-Time Actors, by 1913.
He died on December 1, 1938 in Manhattan, New York City. He was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Woodside, New York. His archive is housed at Princeton University.

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