Note: This story contains spoilers from “Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story”
If you’re watching “Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story,” chances are high that you have questions about Nance O’Neil. The stage actor appears in the second episode of Ian Brennan’s Netflix original, and though she starts as a just an odd subplot, she becomes more important as the season progresses.
The real Nance O’Neil did actually have a friendship with Lizzie Borden. But — as is the case with much of this show — their relationship wasn’t quite like what appears on Netflix.
Who was Nance O’Neil?
Gertrude Lamson, who was professionally known as Nance O’Neil, was an American stage and film actress who was alive from 1874 until 1965. Her first performance was in San Francisco in 1893 where she played a nun in a stage performance of “Sarah.”
Throughout the 1890s and 1910s, O’Neil was known for her live theatrical work. She traveled internationally for productions and was known as the “American Bernhardt.” Some of the plays she starred in include “Leah, the Forsaken,” “Trilby,” Camille” and “Macbeth.” O’Neil also performed in several Broadway productions, including “True to Life” at the Murray Hill Theatre and “Night in the House” at the Booth Theatre.
Around the 1910s, she made the transition from stage plays to acting in films. The 1915 silent movie “The Kreutzer Sonata” and 1916’s “The Witch” stand as two of her first movies. She also successfully made the switch from the silent era to talkies, starring in “Ladies of Leisure,” “The Royal Bed” and “The Rogue Song.” Her last movie was the 1932 medical drama “False Faces,” which was directed by Lowell Sherman.
Was Nance O’Neil friends with Lizzie Borden?
That part is true. O’Neil and Borden were reportedly close friends. However, the timeline of that friendship is off.
O’Neil and Borden met in 1904, several years after Borden was acquitted for the murders of her father and stepmother. “Monster” claims that the two women met in 1892, but O’Neil was still starting her acting career in San Francisco during that time. The claim that Borden was O’Neil’s patron also seems to be fictional.
The actress is also crucial to this story for another reason. The many rumors that Borden was a lesbian have largely been traced back to her friendship with O’Neil, who was also rumored to be gay. Ed McBain’s 1984 novel “Lizzie,” which depicts a romantic relationship between Borden and the family maid Bridget Sullivan, also contributed to those rumors. The real Borden’s sexuality is not definitively known.
Did Nance O’Neil train Lizzie Borden during her murder trial?
No, that’s another work of fiction.
In “Monster,” Nance O’Neil (Jessica Barden) meets Lizzie Borden (Ella Beatty) after one of her shows, and Borden invites her to dinner. During that dinner, Nance witnesses how cruel Lizzie’s father and stepmother are to her and promises that she will one day see Lizzie again before leaving for her next performance. Nance stays true to her word, arriving on Lizzie’s doorstep while she’s on trial for murder. After making it clear that she knows Lizzie killed her father and stepmother, Nance offers to train Lizzie how to act innocent in exchange for Lizzie becoming her patron. Lizzie takes the deal, and is repeatedly shown in the series to be infatuated by Nance.
In reality, O’Neil didn’t meet Borden until 1904 — more than a decade after the trial over Abby and Andrew Borden’s homicide.
“Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story” is now streaming on Netflix.
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