Charles J. Ross

Charles Joseph Kelly (February 18, 1859 – June 15, 1918), known professionally as Charles J. Ross or Charley Ross, was a Canadian-American entertainer, composer and theatrical producer who performed in vaudeville, burlesque, and on the stage. Ross and his wife, Mabel Fenton, became popular for their parodies of classical plays. Early life Ross was born Charles Joseph Kelly to William and Caroline (née Brown) Kelly at Montreal, Canada East, where his father was employed as a carpenter. Career Ross began as a circus entertainer with P. T. Barnum before his stage debut on April 5, 1885, at Miner's Bowery Theatre in Manhattan as a singer and impersonator. Next he performed with Herman's Transatlantic in a variety act at the Atlantic Gardens Bowery Theater. Over the next few years, Ross would develop his talent as a farce comedian playing with vaudeville companies in New York and on the road. Ross married actress Ada Towne (known professionally as Mabel Fenton) on June 9, 1887, during a stopover at Deadwood, South Dakota amidst a vaudeville tour of the American West. The couple soon created the act Ross and Fenton and within two years became a staple of the Weber and Fields Company in New York performing their farce productions of classic and popular plays of the day. Ross later formed his own company and continued to perform well into the early decades of the twentieth century. The couple appeared in at least two films: Death of Nancy Sykes (1897) and How Molly Malone Made Good (1915).