Ann Catherine Holbrook (born Ann Catherine Jackson; 1780 – January 1837) was a British actress and writer.

Life

Ann Catherine Jackson was born in 1780. Her father was Thomas Jackson, a British

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...

. By the time she was eighteen, she had lost both parents and she had played numerous leading roles, including that of

Juliet Juliet Capulet () is the female protagonist in William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. A 13-year-old girl, Juliet is the only daughter of the patriarch of the House of Capulet. She falls in love with the male protagonist R ...

. Her father died in 1798. That year, she signed a contract with a theater in

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre of ...

. She married another actor with the surname Holbrook. He was a part of the same theater company. They traveled together, performing throughout England, including in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

with

William Macready the elder William Macready the Elder (1755–1829) was an Irish actor-manager. Early life The son of a Dublin upholsterer, Macready started his career playing in Irish country towns. He joined the Capel Street Theatre in Dublin in 1782, and the Crow Stree ...

. In 1809, she wrote "Memoirs of an Actress" having become disillusioned with the life of an actress. Holbrook documented her exploitation by managers and the poor monetary rewards. This book's publication was backed by nine "aristocrats". She wrote a number other books including ''Realities and Reflections: a Series of Original Tales'' in 1834. She died in London in January 1837.

Selected works

*''The Dramatist'', or, ''Memoirs of the Stage, with the Life of the Authoress''. *''Tales, Serious and Instructive'', 1821, *''Constantine Castriot, an Historical Tale'', 1829, *''Realities and Reflections: a Series of Original Tales'' in 1834.J. Gilliland, ‘Holbrook , Ann Catherine (1780–1837)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 26 Jan 2015
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holbrook, Ann Catherine 1780 births 1837 deaths 19th-century English actresses 19th-century English writers 19th-century English women writers English stage actresses Actresses from London