He was born as
John Browne in Little Denmark Street,
Dublin in Ireland where his mother Mary Browne ( Lynch) was the manager of the
Mechanics' Theatre, a theatre and
music hall that stood on the site later occupied by the
Abbey Theatre.
Mary Concepta Lynch (Sister Mary Concepta) was a maternal cousin. His father, Henry Browne, was an accountant. He took the stage name 'Glenville' from Glenville House in
County Wicklow. His first stage appearance was aged two weeks at the
Theatre Royal, Birmingham when he was carried on in
Dion Boucicault's play
Arrah-na-Pogue. By 1895, as Shaun Glenville-Luck he had joined the
music hall entertainers, burlesque and sketch artists The Six Brothers Luck. By 1906 he was appearing in Variety, and made his London début at the
Holborn Empire in 1907. In 1907 with The Six Brothers Luck he toured the United States in their 'farcical sketch' 'The Demon of the Cellar' and a number of other variety acts. The critic of
Variety wrote:"Shaun Glenville Luck makes a capital grotesque comedian and might, under more kindly circumstances, be really funny, but the seltzer-bottle-bladder-slapstick mess that makes up 'The Demon in the Cellar' leaves him stranded. The audience hopes for a minute that the introduction of acrobatics of some sort might enliven the proceedings, but they hoped in vain. It was just childish horseplay and buffoonery, almost without a redeeming virtue." For a period Glenville was with the company of
Fred Karno, and by 1909 he was appearing in
pantomimes across Britain. After Dorothy converted to Catholicism they held a Catholic marriage ceremony in Dublin the following year. Their son was actor/director
Peter Glenville (1913–1996). For 50 years they played mother and son. ==Acting career==