Irene Vanbrugh (1872–1949) was a distinguished English actress who had a prominent stage career spanning over fifty years. She was a leading lady particularly known for her performances in plays by playwrights like Arthur Wing Pinero, J.M. Barrie, and Oscar Wilde; she notably created the role of Gwendolen Fairfax in the original 1895 production of The Importance of Being Earnest.
Although primarily a stage performer, Vanbrugh also appeared in a number of silent films and talking pictures in her later years. For her extensive contributions to the theatre, she was honored as a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1941.
Vanbrugh was also a keen supporter of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), of which her brother was the principal, and the Academy’s theatre was later named the Vanbrugh Theatre in honor of her and her sister, Violet, who was also an actress.
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