Editing Sybil Thorndike (section)

== Early years ==
Thorndike was born on 24 October 1882 in [[Gainsborough, Lincolnshire|Gainsborough]], Lincolnshire, the eldest of the four children of the Rev Arthur John Webster Thorndike (1853–1917) and his wife Agnes Macdonald, ''née'' Bowers (1857–1933), the daughter of a shipping merchant.<ref name=odnb>Morley, Sheridan. [https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/31760 "Thorndike (married name Casson), Dame (Agnes) Sybil"], ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2011 {{ODNBsub}}</ref> From both parents Thorndike learned values of tolerance and concern for others that remained with her throughout her life.<ref>Croall, pp. 14−15</ref> When she was two years old her father was appointed a [[Canon (priest)|minor canon]] of [[Rochester Cathedral]].<ref>Croall, pp. 11–12</ref> She was educated at [[Rochester Grammar School for Girls]], and first trained as a classical pianist, making weekly visits to London for lessons at the [[Guildhall School of Music and Drama|Guildhall School of Music]].<ref name=odnb/>

In May 1899 Thorndike gave her first solo piano recital, but shortly afterwards she developed recurrent pianist's cramp, and although she performed in leading concert venues in London – the [[Wigmore Hall|Bechstein]], [[Steinway Hall#London|Steinway]] and [[St James's Hall|St James's]] halls – by 1902 it was clear that a musical career would be impossible.<ref>Croall, pp. 28 and 33–34</ref> She studied for the stage at the drama school run by [[Ben Greet]], who engaged her for an American tour beginning in August 1904, in advance of which she made her professional début at [[Cambridge]] in June, as Palmis in [[W. S. Gilbert]]'s ''[[The Palace of Truth]]''.<ref name=m384>Morley (1986), p. 384</ref> She remained in Greet's company for three years playing in Shakespearean repertory throughout the US.<ref name=ww1>Herbert, p. 1476</ref>
[[File:Sybil-Thorndike-1909.png|Thorndike in 1909|thumb|upright|left|alt=young white woman in large Edwardian hat]]
On her return to England, Thorndike was spotted by [[George Bernard Shaw|Bernard Shaw]] in a one-off Sunday night performance at the [[Scala Theatre]] in London; he invited her to join the company for a revival of his ''[[Candida (play)|Candida]]'' to be given in [[Belfast]] by [[Annie Horniman]]'s players. The company was based at the [[Gaiety Theatre, Manchester]], where she first appeared in September 1908 as Bessie Carter in [[Basil Dean]]'s ''Marriages are Made in Heaven''. She played parts in nine other plays by authors ranging from [[Euripides]] to [[John Galsworthy]].<ref>Croall, pp. 524−525</ref> In the company she met, and formed a lifelong partnership with, the actor [[Lewis Casson]].<ref name=m384/> They married in December 1908 at her father's church. They had two daughters and two sons, all of whom went on the stage for some or all of their careers.{{refn|The four were John Casson, [[Christopher Casson]], [[Mary Casson]] and [[Ann Casson]].<ref name=odnb/>|group=n}}

Thorndike appeared at the [[Coronet Theatre, London|Coronet Theatre]], London, in June 1909 with the Horniman company, and at the [[Duke of York's Theatre]] in March 1910 with [[Charles Frohman]]'s repertory company, appearing there as Winifred in ''The Sentimentalists'', Emma Huxtable in ''The Madras House'', Romp in ''Prunella'' and Maggie Massey in ''Chains''. She then went to New York, where she appeared at the [[Empire Theatre (41st Street)|Empire Theatre]] in September 1910, as Emily Chapman in ''Smith'' opposite [[John Drew Jr.|John Drew]].<ref name=ww1/>

Between her return to Britain and the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, Thorndike appeared in the [[West End theatre|West End]] at the [[Aldwych Theatre]] in June 1912 as Beatrice Farrar in ''[[Hindle Wakes (play)|Hindle Wakes]]'', and at the [[Playhouse Theatre]] in July 1912 in the same role. She returned to Manchester for a second season at the Gaiety later in the year, playing a range of roles in nine plays.<ref name=ww1/> At the [[Royal Court Theatre|Court Theatre]] in London in May 1913 she played the title role in [[St. John Greer Ervine|St John Ervine]]'s ''[[Jane Clegg]]'', and in October she appeared in both Manchester and London as Hester in [[Eden Phillpotts]]' ''The Shadow''.<ref name=ww1/><ref>"The Shadow", ''[[The Era (newspaper)|The Era]]'', 8 October 1913, p. 17</ref>