Millar was born in
Manningham, Bradford, where her father, John Millar, was a mill worker, and her mother, Elizabeth (née Miller), was a worsted-stuff worker and dressmaker.
Early career As a child, Millar performed in London
pantomimes, beginning with
Babes in the Wood at the St. James Theatre in
Manchester, at the age of 13. She started out as a singer and dancer in the
music halls of Yorkshire. Later, she moved to London where she was soon earning good notices and better pay appearing in
variety show bills. By 1897, she was playing the role of Phyllis Crosby in
A Game of Cards at Shodfriars Hall,
Boston, Lincolnshire. Next she toured in
The New Barmaid in the role of Dora; in
The Silver Lining; and as Sadie Pinkhose, the "other woman", in
The Lady Detective. In the new century, she starred in a series of hit musical comedies produced by
George Edwardes. In 1900, she played Isabel Blythe in the touring production of
The Messenger Boy. Edwardes's next show was
The Toreador in 1901 at the
Gaiety Theatre in London.
Lionel Monckton, one of the show's composers, had seen Millar in
The Messenger Boy and requested that she be given the role of the bridesmaid Cora in the new musical, singing "Keep Off the Grass". She made the song popular and earned a second song, "Captivating Cora", and a third, "I'm not a simple little girl". Monckton continued to write hit songs for her in subsequent shows. She had top billing as the Hon. Violet Anstruther in
The Orchid, the show that opened the new Gaiety (1903; introducing the songs "Little Mary", "Liza Ann", and "Come with me to the zoo").
Later years in
Our Miss Gibbs After she returned to London, from New York, some of Millar's biggest successes were still in front of her. They included the title role of the hit Gaiety musical,
Our Miss Gibbs (1909), with Millar introducing the songs "Moonstruck", "Yorkshire", and "Our farm", all written for her by Monckton. Monckton and Millar then moved to Edwardes' newest theatre, the
Adelphi, where she played the title role, Prudence Pym, in another international hit,
The Quaker Girl (1910). In this, she popularised the songs "The Quaker Girl", "The Little Grey Bonnet", and "Tony from America". After this, she returned to continental operetta, playing Lady Babby in Edwardes's English language version of
Franz Lehár's
Gipsy Love (1912) at
Daly's Theatre. In this role, the musical demands were light, and the show was a success. She returned to the Adelphi to play Nancy Joyce in
The Dancing Mistress (1912), and back at Daly's she played Kitty Kent in
The Marriage Market (1913). This was followed by the role of Nan in a major revival of
A Country Girl (1914). '' World War I brought a change in the tastes of the theatregoing public. Edwardes died in 1915, and Millar's husband was in poor health. Millar married the
2nd Earl of Dudley. Millar (now Lady Dudley), survived her second husband by two decades and died at her home in
Chiddingfold in 1952, aged 73. She left an estate valued at £52,354. == Gallery ==