Eytinge was born November 21, 1835 in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She began on the amateur stage at 17 and soon was invited to join a professional touring company. but was divorced in 1862. Her niece,
Pearl Eytinge, was also an actress. In 1869, she married Colonel
George H. Butler, U. S. Consul General to Egypt. They lived abroad for two years and Eytinge took a break from performing. They had two children: a daughter, Florence (b. 1875) married Dr. Walsh, and a son, Benjamin Franklin Butler (1871-1904), Eytinge returned to New York to resume her career with the Union Square Theatre Company. It was at this time that she played one of her most famous roles, Shakespeare's "Cleopatra" for which she drew on her Egyptian experiences. Her personal memoirs were published in 1905. Eytinge died of a stroke on December 20, 1911, at the Brunswick Home of
Amityville, New York, where she was supported by the
Actors Fund of America. Her body was sent to Washington for burial. ==Selected performances==