Cambridge Guide to American Theatre (1993) entry on Maude Adams
Adams (Kiskadden), Maude (1872-1953). Actress, daughter of Salt Lake City star Annie Adams. At five Maude was starring as Little Schneider in Fritz, Our German Cousin in San Francisco. Her adult career began at 16 with a New York debut at the Star Theatre in The Paymaster. In 1890 she began an association with producer Charles Frohman that lasted until 1915. A box-office favorite until 1932 (despite an early retirement during 1918-1931), she emerged in 1897 as a star, capitalizing on her eternal youthfulness and whimsy, as Lady Babbie in The Little Minister, a character rewritten for her by James Barrie. She also starred in U.S. productions of his Quality Street (1901), Peter Pan (1905), What Every Woman Knows (1908), The Legend of Lenora (1914), and A Kiss for Cinderella (1916). Other parts included Rostand's L'Aiglon, the strutting hero in his Chantecler, and Shakespeare's Viola, Juliet, and Rosalind. In the 1920's she was a lighting consultant for General Electric. In 1931 she toured with Otis Skinner in The Merchant of Venice. During 1937-1950 she taught theater at Stephens College, Missouri.
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