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³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Wales History blogger Phil Carradice has written a great piece about one of the most successful actors of the 18th century, Sarah Siddons.

Siddons was born in Brecon on this day in 1755. Phil explains:

"Sarah Siddons was the most renowned actress of 18th century Britain. Her performances at Drury Lane and Covent Garden - particularly her portrayal of Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth - were so powerful that audiences swooned and often had to be helped out of the theatre in various stages of distress...

"Siddons was the most famous actress of her day, at a time when the job of actress was at last beginning to become respectable. She held soirées or receptions where the rich and famous - men such as the Duke of Wellington, Edmund Burke and Samuel Johnson - regularly attended."

Read the article in full, and browse some of Phil's previous blog posts on figures from the world of Welsh art and culture:

• Augustus John, bohemian and painter
• Allen Raine, forgotten Welsh writer
• WH Davies: the Welsh Super Tramp
• Ivor Novello, the Welsh nightingale
• William Haggar's fleapit cinema