Tanner was born in [[Cleveland, Ohio]] around 1861. She first appeared on stage at [[McVicker’s Theater]] in Chicago; she reported she was 14 at the time.<ref name=”thestage”>(May 1896). [https://archive.org/details/sim_munseys-magazine_1896-05_15_2/page/238/mode/2up An Artist in Melodrama], ”[[Munsey’s Magazine]]”, p. 238</ref> She first appeared in London in 1880. She was the first American Princess Ida in the [[Gilbert and Sullivan]] opera [[Princess Ida|of the same name]] in 1884.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gänz l|first=Kurt |year=1986 |title=The British Musical Theatre: Volume I, 1865–1914 |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=247}}</ref> The 1901 book ”Players of the Present” opined that “since the beginning of the season of 1885-86 she has been constantly before the public more or less prominently as a star,” reporting her first success was the role of Annie Meadows in [[Robert Williams Buchanan|Robert Buchanan]]’s ”Alone in London” (playing the role from 1884 to 1888), and then in 1888 in the same author’s play ”Fascination”. In 1895-96 she appeared in the Broadway hit ”[[The Sporting Duchess (play)|The Sporting Duchess]]”. In 1900 she portrayed Aurora Borealis in Broadway musical ”[[A Million Dollars]]”. She appears to have retired from the stage in 1902.
Tanner was born in [[Cleveland, Ohio]] around 1861. She first appeared on stage at [[McVicker’s Theater]] in Chicago; she reported she was 14 at the time.<ref name=”thestage”>(May 1896). [https://archive.org/details/sim_munseys-magazine_1896-05_15_2/page/238/mode/2up An Artist in Melodrama], ”[[Munsey’s Magazine]]”, p. 238</ref> She first appeared in London in 1880. She was the first American Princess Ida in the [[Gilbert and Sullivan]] opera [[Princess Ida|of the same name]] in 1884.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gänz l|first=Kurt |year=1986 |title=The British Musical Theatre: Volume I, 1865–1914 |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=247}}</ref> The 1901 book ”Players of the Present” opined that “since the beginning of the season of 1885-86 she has been constantly before the public more or less prominently as a star,” reporting her first success was the role of Annie Meadows in [[Robert Williams Buchanan|Robert Buchanan]]’s ”Alone in London” (playing the role from 1884 to 1888), and then in 1888 in the same author’s play ”Fascination”. In 1895-96 she appeared in the Broadway hit ”[[The Sporting Duchess (play)|The Sporting Duchess]]”. In 1900 she portrayed Aurora Borealis in Broadway musical ”[[A Million Dollars]]”. She appears to have retired from the stage in 1902.
As typical of a stage star of her day, her personal life was occasionally news fodder, including her public divorce from Colonel William E. Sinn, a Brooklyn theatre manager. Sinn tried to claim that Tanner’s first marriage to Fred Farlin had never been ended, making their marriage invalid, but lost that claim. Occasionally there were comments in the news about her weight, which tended to be a bit on the heavier side. In 1899, reports ran that she almost died from eating [[poisoned candy]] that was left at her hotel by a messenger. In 1903, Tanner married Charles S. Reed in New York, and public coverage of her essentially ceased.<ref name=”1903marriage”>(7 August 1903). [https://www.nytimes.com/1903/08/07/archives/cora-tanner-married.html?searchResultPosition=1 Cora Tanner Married], ”[[The New York Times]]”</ref><ref name=”players”>[https://books.google.com/books?id=5S4uAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA359 Players of the Present, Part III], p. 359 (1901)</ref><ref name=”poison”>(15 April 1899). [https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn90059523/1899-04-15/ed-1/seq-1/ Poison in Roses – Desperate Attempt Made Upon The Life of Cora Tanner, The Actress], ”Saint Paul Globe”</ref><ref name=”1893sinn”>(27 June 1893). [https://www.nytimes.com/1893/06/27/archives/cora-tanner-col-sinns-wife-a-brooklyn-court-decides-the-marriage-of.html Cora Tanner Col. Sinn’s Wife], ”[[The New York Times]]”</ref><ref name=”coraatalb”>(5 October 1890). [https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82016373/1890-10-05/ed-1/seq-3/ Cora Tanner at Albaugh’s], ”Sunday Herald”, p. 3, col. 1</ref><ref name=”phillips”>(24 September 1896). [https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85029677/1896-09-24/ed-1/seq-3/ Miss Tanner a Fixture], ”Phillipsburg Herald”</ref><ref name=”4-02foot”>(12 April 1902). [https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030193/1902-04-12/ed-1/seq-6/ Footlights], ”New York World”, p. 6</ref><ref name=”bee”>(16 October 1886). [http://www.robertbuchanan.co.uk/html/aloneamerica.html Talks With Travelers], ”Omaha Daily Bee”</ref><ref name=”woes”>[https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/mohi_marmaduke_ver02/data/sn89066695/00415661757/1893041301/0083.pdf Cora Tanner’s Woes], ”Marble Hill Press”</ref><ref name=”corahusband”>(25 February 1893). [https://archive.org/details/sim_national-police-gazette_1893-02-25_61_808/page/6/mode/2up Cora Tanner’s Husbands], ”National Police Gazette”, p. 7</ref>
As typical of a stage star of her day, her personal life was occasionally news fodder, including her public divorce from Colonel William E. Sinn, a Brooklyn theatre manager. Sinn tried to claim that Tanner’s first marriage to Fred Farlin had never ended, making their marriage invalid, but lost that claim. Occasionally there were comments in the news about her weight, which tended to be a bit on the heavier side. In 1899, reports ran that she almost died from eating [[poisoned candy]] that was left at her hotel by a messenger. In 1903, Tanner married Charles S. Reed in New York, and public coverage of her essentially ceased.<ref name=”1903marriage”>(7 August 1903). [https://www.nytimes.com/1903/08/07/archives/cora-tanner-married.html?searchResultPosition=1 Cora Tanner Married], ”[[The New York Times]]”</ref><ref name=”players”>[https://books.google.com/books?id=5S4uAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA359 Players of the Present, Part III], p. 359 (1901)</ref><ref name=”poison”>(15 April 1899). [https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn90059523/1899-04-15/ed-1/seq-1/ Poison in Roses – Desperate Attempt Made Upon The Life of Cora Tanner, The Actress], ”Saint Paul Globe”</ref><ref name=”1893sinn”>(27 June 1893). [https://www.nytimes.com/1893/06/27/archives/cora-tanner-col-sinns-wife-a-brooklyn-court-decides-the-marriage-of.html Cora Tanner Col. Sinn’s Wife], ”[[The New York Times]]”</ref><ref name=”coraatalb”>(5 October 1890). [https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82016373/1890-10-05/ed-1/seq-3/ Cora Tanner at Albaugh’s], ”Sunday Herald”, p. 3, col. 1</ref><ref name=”phillips”>(24 September 1896). [https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85029677/1896-09-24/ed-1/seq-3/ Miss Tanner a Fixture], ”Phillipsburg Herald”</ref><ref name=”4-02foot”>(12 April 1902). [https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030193/1902-04-12/ed-1/seq-6/ Footlights], ”New York World”, p. 6</ref><ref name=”bee”>(16 October 1886). [http://www.robertbuchanan.co.uk/html/aloneamerica.html Talks With Travelers], ”Omaha Daily Bee”</ref><ref name=”woes”>[https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/mohi_marmaduke_ver02/data/sn89066695/00415661757/1893041301/0083.pdf Cora Tanner’s Woes], ”Marble Hill Press”</ref><ref name=”corahusband”>(25 February 1893). [https://archive.org/details/sim_national-police-gazette_1893-02-25_61_808/page/6/mode/2up Cora Tanner’s Husbands], ”National Police Gazette”, p. 7</ref>
Tanner died in March 1945 in [[Grand Rapids, Michigan|Grand Rapids]], Michigan, at a reported age of 84.<ref name=”obitone”>[https://townbroadcast.com/?p=34211 Bygone Days: A look at the past in NE Allegan County], under heading “75 Years Ago — March 30, 1945”, “(Taken from the archives at the Then & Now Historical Library in downtown Dorr)”, retrieved 5 January 2022</ref><Ref name=”billboard”>(22 December 1945) [https://books.google.com/books?id=phgEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Cora+tanner+reed%22+obituary&pg=PT3 Coburn Spiels at Episcopal Actors’ Guild Memorial], ”Billboard” (mention of “Cora Tanner Reed” as among actors who died that year to be included in an annual commemorative service of the Episcopal Actor’s Guild)</ref>
Tanner died in March 1945 in [[Grand Rapids, Michigan|Grand Rapids]], Michigan, at a reported age of 84.<ref name=”obitone”>[https://townbroadcast.com/?p=34211 Bygone Days: A look at the past in NE Allegan County], under heading “75 Years Ago — March 30, 1945”, “(Taken from the archives at the Then & Now Historical Library in downtown Dorr)”, retrieved 5 January 2022</ref><Ref name=”billboard”>(22 December 1945) [https://books.google.com/books?id=phgEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Cora+tanner+reed%22+obituary&pg=PT3 Coburn Spiels at Episcopal Actors’ Guild Memorial], ”Billboard” (mention of “Cora Tanner Reed” as among actors who died that year to be included in an annual commemorative service of the Episcopal Actor’s Guild)</ref>
