(1841-1914)
Born in Sandwich, Canada, Arthur McKee Rankin debuted as an actor in 1861 under the stage name George Henley in Rochester, New York. After a few seasons in England, Rankin made his first New York appearance in A Regular Fix in 1866 before joining the Union Square Theatre in 1872. There he appeared in leading roles before finding enduring popularity as miner Alexander McGee in The Danites (1877) opposite his wife, Kitty Blanchard. Initial success as a producer and manager, and frequent revivals of The Danites (later opposite Nance O'Neil), kept him in the public eye, but various personal and managerial failings led to bankruptcy in 1904. In attempts to find another vehicle as popular as The Danites, Rankin appeared with modest success in '49 (1881) and The Canuck (1891). Rankin's daughters, Gladys and Doris, married actors Sidney Drew and Lionel Barrymore, respectively.
The Historical Dictionary of the American Theater. James Fisher.