Adolphus Vane-Tempest
Francis Adolphus Vane-Tempest (4 January 1863 – 10 December 1932) was an English actor known for playing amiable but not very bright upper-class characters. He created the role of Mr Dumby in Oscar Wilde's Lady Windermere's Fan in 1892 and continued acting until World War I, after which he did not return to the stage.
He was born in London, the only child of Lord Adolphus Vane-Tempest and Lady Susan Pelham-Clinton. He attended Harrow School and Balliol College, Oxford. He tried a political career as a Conservative candidate for Mid-Durham in 1885 and 1890 but was not elected. He loved amateur theater and, with Arthur Bourchier, helped raise money for charity before turning professional in 1891. He toured with Kate Vaughan in The Dancing Girl, playing Hon Reginald Slingsby.
In 1892 he joined George Alexander's company at the St James's Theatre and created Mr Dumby in Lady Windermere's Fan. In 1893 he played Sir George Orreyed in The Second Mrs Tanqueray, and he appeared in several popular comedies in the following years. He married Gertrude Magdalen Elliot in 1901; they had one son, Francis, and she died before him. He continued to perform in notable works such as Captain Drew on Leave (as Mr White, 1905) and The Little Damozel and Mr Preedy and the Countess (both 1909). In 1913 he played Lord Alfred Blakeney in General John Regan.
When World War I began, he joined the Third Northumberland Royal Field Artillery as a captain and later became a major. After the war he did not return to acting. He died in London on 10 December 1932, aged 69.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 20:47 (CET).