Dionysius Lardner "Dion" Boucicault (né Boursiquot; 26 December 1820 – 18 September 1890) was an Irish actor and playwright famed for his
melodramas. By the later part of the 19th century, Boucicault had become known on both sides of the Atlantic as one of the most successful actor-playwright-managers then in the English-speaking theatre. Although ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' hailed him in his obituary as "the most conspicuous English dramatist of the 19th century,"
he and his second wife, Agnes Robertson Boucicault, had applied for and received American citizenship in 1873.
Life and career
Early life
Boucicault was born Dionysius Lardner Boursiquot in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
, where he lived on
Gardiner Street
Gardiner Street () is a long Georgian street in Dublin, Ireland. It stretches from the River Liffey at its southern end via Mountjoy Square to Dorset Street at its northern end. The Custom House terminates the vista at the southern end, and th ...
. His mother was Anne Darley, sister of the poet and mathematician
George Darley
George Darley (1795–1846) was an Irish poet, novelist, literary critic, and author of mathematical texts. Friends with such literary luminaries as Charles Lamb, Thomas Carlyle, and John Clare, he was considered by some to be on a level with Te ...
. The Darleys were an important
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...
Dublin family influential in many fields and related to the Guinnesses by marriage. Anne was married to Samuel Smith Boursiquot, of
Huguenot
The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...
ancestry, but the identity of the boy's father is uncertain. He was probably
Dionysius Lardner
Professor Dionysius Lardner FRS FRSE (3 April 179329 April 1859) was an Irish scientific writer who popularised science and technology, and edited the 133-volume '' Cabinet Cyclopædia''.
Early life in Dublin
He was born in Dublin on 3 Apr ...
, a lodger at his mother's house at a time when she was recently separated from her husband, with Lardner later giving Dion Boucicault financial support until about 1840.
In 1828, Lardner was elected as professor of
natural philosophy
Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin ''philosophia naturalis'') is the philosophical study of physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior throu ...
and
astronomy
Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...
at
University College, London
, mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £143 million (2020)
, budget = Â ...
, a position he held until he resigned in 1831. Anne Boursiquot followed him to London in 1828, taking all but one of her children with her. Consequently, from then on Boucicault attended various schools in and around London, about which there is a good deal of confusion, which has been dealt with by Richard Fawkes in a biography. For about four years, from 1829, he seems to have attended a very small private school in
Hampstead
Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...
kept by a Mr Hessey, then between 1833 and 1835 was at
University College School
("Slowly but surely")
, established =
, closed =
, type = Public schoolIndependent day school
, religion =
, president =
, head_label = Headmaster
, head = Mark Beard
, r_head_label =
, r_hea ...
, where he began his friendship with
Charles Kenney. He later recalled having boarded in Euston Square with a Rev. Henry Stebbing, a historian. There is then a gap of two years, when Fawkes believes Boucicault may have attended
Rowland Hill
Sir Rowland Hill, KCB, FRS (3 December 1795 – 27 August 1879) was an English teacher, inventor and social reformer. He campaigned for a comprehensive reform of the postal system, based on the concept of Uniform Penny Post and his soluti ...
's
Bruce Castle School
Bruce Castle School, at Bruce Castle, Tottenham, was a progressive school for boys established in 1827 as an extension of Rowland Hill's Hazelwood School at Edgbaston. It closed in 1891.
Origins
In 1819, Rowland Hill moved his father's Hill To ...
, as stated in the ''
Dictionary of National Biography''. In 1837, he was enrolled at Wyke House, a school at Sion Hill,
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
, kept by a
Dr Alexander Jamieson, where he appeared in a school play, in the part of Rolla in
Sheridan's ''Pizarro'', and wrote his own first play, ''The Old Guard'', which was produced some years later. After that, according to some accounts he attended a school in Dublin, before returning to London as an
apprentice
Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...
civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...
to Lardner.
[Peter Thomson]
"Biographical Record"
in ''Plays by Dion Boucicault'' (CUP Archive, 1984), pp. 15–18
Work as actor and playwright
Boucicault abandoned his apprenticeship to take up an acting offer in
Cheltenham
Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...
, adopting the stage name of Lee Morton. He joined
William Charles Macready
William Charles Macready (3 March 179327 April 1873) was an English actor.
Life
He was born in London the son of William Macready the elder, and actress Christina Ann Birch. Educated at Rugby School where he became headboy, and where now the t ...
and made his first appearance on stage with Benjamin Webster at
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
. Soon after this he began to write plays, occasionally in conjunction with his acting.
Boucicault's first play, ''A Legend of the Devil's Dyke'', opened in
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
in 1838. Three years later, he had a big success as a dramatist with ''
London Assurance
''London Assurance'' (originally titled ''Out of Town'') is a five-act comedy by Dion Boucicault. It was the second play that he wrote but his first to be produced. Its first production was by Charles Matthews and Madame Vestris's company and ...
''. First produced at
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...
on 4 March 1841, its cast included such well-known actors as
Charles Mathews
Charles Mathews (28 June 1776, London – 28 June 1835, Devonport) was an English theatre manager and comic actor, well known during his time for his gift of impersonation and skill at table entertainment. His play ''At Home'', in which he pl ...
,
William Farren
William Farren (13 May 1786 – 24 September 1861) was an English actor, who was the son of an actor (born 1725) of the same name, who played leading roles from 1784 to 1795 at Theatre Royal, Covent Garden.
Life
Raised on Gower Street in Lo ...
, Mrs Nesbitt and
Madame Vestris.
![Houghton MS Thr 709 - Courbold, Corsican Brothers - crop](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Houghton_MS_Thr_709_-_Courbold%2C_Corsican_Brothers_-_crop.jpg)
Boucicault rapidly followed this with a number of other plays, among the most successful being ''The Bastile'' , an "after-piece" (1842), ''Old Heads and Young Hearts'' (1844), ''The School for Scheming'' (1847), ''Confidence'' (1848), and ''The Knight Arva'' (1848), all produced at
Her Majesty's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, ...
. He had further great successes with ''
The Corsican Brothers
''The Corsican Brothers'' (french: Les Frères corses) is a novella by Alexandre Dumas, père, first published in 1844. It is the story of two conjoined brothers who, though separated at birth, can still feel each other's physical distress. It h ...
'' (1852, for
Charles Kean
Charles John Kean (18 January 181122 January 1868), was an English actor and theatre manager, best known for his revivals of Shakespearean plays.
Life
Kean was born at Waterford, Ireland, a son of actor Edmund Kean and actress Mary Kean ('' ...
) and ''Louis XI'' (1855), both adaptations of French plays.
In his ''The Vampire'' (1852), Boucicault made his début as a leading actor, appearing as the vampire Sir Alan Raby. Although the play itself had mixed reviews, Boucicault's characterisation was praised as "a dreadful and weird thing played with immortal genius". In 1854 he wrote ''Andy Blake; or, The Irish Diamond'' and also appeared in it, playing the title character.
[Stedman, Jane W]
"General Utility: Victorian Author-Actors from Knowles to Pinero"
''Educational Theatre Journal'', Vol. 24, No. 3, October 1972, pp. 289–301, Johns Hopkins University Press
From 1854 to 1860, Boucicault resided in the United States, where he was always a popular favourite. Boucicault and his actress wife, Agnes Robertson, toured America. He also wrote many successful plays there, acting in most of them. These included the popular ''Jessie Brown; or, The Relief of Lucknow'' in 1858.
[
]
Work as theatre manager and producer
From around 1855 his business manager and partner in New York was William Stuart, an expatriate Irish MP and adventurer. Together they leased Wallack's Theatre
Three New York City playhouses named Wallack's Theatre played an important part in the history of American theater, as the successive homes of the Repertory theatre, stock company managed by actors James William Wallack, James W. Wallack and hi ...
in 1855-1856, and put on a short season at the Washington Theatre in Washington D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
["Death of William Stuart"]
''New-York Tribune
The ''New-York Tribune'' was an American newspaper founded in 1841 by editor Horace Greeley. It bore the moniker ''New-York Daily Tribune'' from 1842 to 1866 before returning to its original name. From the 1840s through the 1860s it was the domi ...
'', December 29, 1886:5, col. 5. Online at Library of Congress.["Death of William Stuart"]
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', December 29, 1886.
In late 1855, while his wife was performing in St. Louis, Boucicault became the lessee of the Varieties Theatre in New Orleans. He quickly renamed it the Gaity and was set to open its doors on the 28th of November. A short delay pushed the opening night back to December 1 with his play ''Used Up''. During his stay in New Orleans, a false report of his death began to circulate, this rumor was proven false when days later on December 20 he presented ''The Chameleon'' at the Gaiety. This was the first appearance of Agnes Robertson at the Gaiety. Shortly after, on February 26 of 1856 Boucicualt was in the market to sell his lease. By March 8 he was out and heading to New York.
In the summer of 1859, Boucicault and William Stuart became joint lessees of Burton's New Theatre (originally Tripler's Theatre) on Broadway just below Amity Street. After extensive remodeling, he renamed his new showplace the Winter Garden Theatre. There on 5 December 1859, he premiered his new sensation, the anti-slavery potboiler ''The Octoroon
''The Octoroon'' is a play by Dion Boucicault that opened in 1859 at The Winter Garden Theatre, New York City. Extremely popular, the play was kept running continuously for years by seven road companies. Among antebellum melodramas, it was con ...
'', in which he also starred. This was the first play to treat seriously the Black American population.[
]
Boucicault fell out with Stuart over money matters, and he went back to England. On his return he produced at the Adelphi Theatre
The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...
a dramatic adaptation of Gerald Griffin
Gerald Griffin ( ga, Gearóid Ó GrÃofa; 12 December 1803 – 12 June 1840) was an Irish novelist, poet and playwright. His novel ''The Collegians'' was the basis of Dion Boucicault's play The Colleen Bawn. Feeling he was "wasting his time" w ...
's novel, ''The Collegians'', entitled ''The Colleen Bawn
''The Colleen Bawn, or The Brides of Garryowen'' is a melodramatic play written by Irish playwright Dion Boucicault. It was first performed at Laura Keene's Theatre, New York, on 27 March 1860 with Laura Keene playing Anne Chute and Boucicau ...
''. This play, one of the most successful of the times, was performed in almost every city of the United Kingdom and the United States. Julius Benedict
Sir Julius Benedict (27 November 1804 – 5 June 1885) was a German-born composer and conductor, resident in England for most of his career.
Life and music
Benedict was born in Stuttgart, the son of a Jewish banker, and in 1820 learnt compo ...
used it as the basis for his Opera ''The Lily of Killarney
''The Lily of Killarney'' is an opera in three acts by Julius Benedict. The libretto, by John Oxenford and Dion Boucicault, is based on Boucicault's own play ''The Colleen Bawn''. The opera received its premiere at Covent Garden Theatre, Londo ...
''. Although it made its author a handsome fortune, he lost it in the management of various London theatres.
After his return to England, Boucicault was asked by the noted American comedian Joseph Jefferson
Joseph Jefferson III, commonly known as Joe Jefferson (February 20, 1829 – April 23, 1905), was an American actor. He was the third actor of this name in a family of actors and managers, and one of the most famous 19th century American comedia ...
, who also starred in the production of ''Octoroon'', to rework Jefferson's adaptation of Washington Irving
Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and " The Legen ...
's ''Rip van Winkle
"Rip Van Winkle" is a short story by the American author Washington Irving, first published in 1819. It follows a Dutch-American villager in colonial America named Rip Van Winkle who meets mysterious Dutchmen, imbibes their liquor and falls aslee ...
''. Their play opened in London in 1865 and on Broadway in 1866.
Boucicault's next marked success was at the Princess's Theatre, London
The Princess's Theatre or Princess Theatre was a theatre in Oxford Street, London. The building opened in 1828 as the "Queen's Bazaar" and housed a diorama by Clarkson Stanfield and David Roberts. It was converted into a theatre and opened in 1 ...
in 1864 with ''Arrah-na-Pogue'' in which he played the part of a County Wicklow
County Wicklow ( ; ga, Contae Chill Mhantáin ) is a county in Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is bordered by t ...
, Ireland carman. This, and his admirable creation of "Conn" in his play ''The Shaughraun
''The Shaughraun'' () is a melodramatic Play (theatre), play written by Irish people, Irish playwright Dion Boucicault. It was first performed at Wallack's Theatre, New York City, New York, on 14 November 1874. Dion Boucicault played Conn in the ...
'' (first produced at Wallacks Theatre, New York City, in 1874, then at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...
in 1875), won him the reputation of being the best "Stage Irishman" of his time. His reputation was also mentioned by W. S. Gilbert
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (18 November 1836 – 29 May 1911) was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his collaboration with composer Arthur Sullivan, which produced fourteen comic operas. The most f ...
in the libretto of his 1881 operetta ''Patience
(or forbearance) is the ability to endure difficult circumstances. Patience may involve perseverance in the face of delay; tolerance of provocation without responding in disrespect/anger; or forbearance when under strain, especially when faced ...
'' in the line: "The pathos of Paddy, as rendered by Boucicault".
Again in partnership with William Stuart he built the New Park Theatre in 1873–1874. However, Boucicault withdrew just before the theatre opened, and Stuart teamed up instead with the actor, playwright and theatre manager Charles Fechter to run the house.
In 1875 Boucicault returned to New York City, where he made his home and for a time his manager was Harry J. Sargent. He wrote the melodrama ''Contempt of Court'' (poster, left) in 1879, but he paid occasional visits to London and elsewhere (e.g. Toronto). He made his last appearance in London in his play, ''The Jilt'', in 1885.
Boucicault was an excellent actor, especially in pathetic parts. His uncanny ability to play these low-status roles earned him the nickname "Little Man Dion" in theatrical circles. His plays are for the most part adaptations, but are often very ingenious in construction. They have had great popularity.
Family life
Boucicault was married three times. He married the much older Anne Guiot at St Mary-at-Lambeth on 9 July 1845. He claimed that she died in a Swiss mountaineering accident later in the same year, though she may in fact have died as late as 1848. In 1853, he eloped with Agnes Kelly Robertson
Agnes Kelly Robertson (25 December 1833 – 6 November 1916) was born in Edinburgh and became a popular actress on the American stage.
Early years
Robertson was the ward of Charles Kean, and the juvenile lead in his theatre company. There she ...
(1833–1916) to marry in New York. She was Charles Kean
Charles John Kean (18 January 181122 January 1868), was an English actor and theatre manager, best known for his revivals of Shakespearean plays.
Life
Kean was born at Waterford, Ireland, a son of actor Edmund Kean and actress Mary Kean ('' ...
's ward; the juvenile lead in his company and an actress of unusual ability. She would bear Dion six children: Dion William Boucicault (1855–1876); Eva Boucicault (1857–1909); Dion Jr. (1859–1929); Patrice Boucicault (1862–1890); Nina Boucicault
Nina Boucicault (27 February 1867 – 2 August 1950) was an English actress born to playwright Dion Boucicault and his wife, actress Agnes Kelly Robertson. She had three brothers, Dion William (1855–1876), Dion Boucicault Jr. and Aubrey Bouc ...
(1867–1950); Aubrey (1868–1913); three of whom became distinguished actors in their own right. Patrice became a society singer, marrying George Pitman in 1885 but died in childbirth in 1890. His granddaughter Rene Boucicault (1898–1935), Aubrey's daughter, became an actress and acted in silent films.
Between 11 July and 8 October 1885, Boucicault toured Australia, where his brother Arthur lived.[ Towards the end of this tour, he suddenly left Agnes to marry Josephine Louise Thorndyke (c. 1864–1956), a young actress, on 9 September 1885, in Sydney.]["Josephine Louise Thorndyke Boucicault"]
Calthrop Boucicault Collection accessed 5 January 2009 This aroused scandal on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, as his marriage to Agnes was not finally dissolved until 21 June 1888, by reason of "bigamy with adultery." The rights to many of his plays were later sold to finance alimony payments to his second wife.
His last play, ''A Tale of a Coat'', opened at Daly's Theatre in New York on 14 August 1890, and closed on 13 September 1890.
Boucicault died in 1890 in New York City, and was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery, Hastings, Westchester County, New York.[Boucicault is buried in Section 43, Lot 1, near the top of the hill; his monument is a flat tablet of granite with a cast bronze marker giving his name and his life dates in Roman numerals.]
Selected works
*''London Assurance
''London Assurance'' (originally titled ''Out of Town'') is a five-act comedy by Dion Boucicault. It was the second play that he wrote but his first to be produced. Its first production was by Charles Matthews and Madame Vestris's company and ...
'' (1841)
*''The Bastile'' (1842)
*''Old Heads and Young Hearts'' (1844)
*''The School for Scheming'' (1847)
*''Confidence'' (1848)
*''The Knight Arva'' (1848)
*''The Corsican Brothers
''The Corsican Brothers'' (french: Les Frères corses) is a novella by Alexandre Dumas, père, first published in 1844. It is the story of two conjoined brothers who, though separated at birth, can still feel each other's physical distress. It h ...
'' (1852)
*''The Vampire'' (1852)
*''Louis XI'' (1855)
*''The Phantom
''The Phantom'' is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional African country of Bangalla. The charact ...
'' (1856)
*''The Poor of New York
''The Poor of New York'' is a melodrama in five acts written by Dion Boucicault, adapted from the French play, ''Les Pauvres de Paris'' which was written by Edouard-Louis-Alexandre Brisbarre and Eugene Nus. It premiered at Wallack's Lyceum Theatr ...
'' (1857)
*'' The Octoroon or Life in Louisiana'' (1859)
*'' The Colleen Bawn or The Brides of Garryowen'' (1860)
*''Jeanie Deans
Jeanie Deans is a fictional character in Sir Walter Scott's novel ''The Heart of Midlothian'' first published in 1818. She was one of Scott's most celebrated characters during the 19th century; she was renowned as an example of an honest, uprigh ...
'' (1860)
*''Arrah-na-Pogue'' (1864)
*''Rip van Winkle or The Sleep of Twenty Years'' (1865)
*''After Dark: A Tale of London Life'' (1868)
*''Formosa, The Most Beautiful'' or ''The Railroad to Ruin'' (1869)
*''The Shaughraun
''The Shaughraun'' () is a melodramatic Play (theatre), play written by Irish people, Irish playwright Dion Boucicault. It was first performed at Wallack's Theatre, New York City, New York, on 14 November 1874. Dion Boucicault played Conn in the ...
'' (1874)
*''The Jilt'' (1885)
See also
*Dionysius Lardner
Professor Dionysius Lardner FRS FRSE (3 April 179329 April 1859) was an Irish scientific writer who popularised science and technology, and edited the 133-volume '' Cabinet Cyclopædia''.
Early life in Dublin
He was born in Dublin on 3 Apr ...
(probably Boucicault's natural father)
*See a man about a dog
To see a man about a dog or horse or duck is an idiom, especially British, of apology for one's imminent departure or absence, generally to euphemistically conceal one's true purpose, such as going to use the toilet or going to buy a drink. The ...
References
Notes
;Bibliography
*''Asimov's Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan'', ''Patience
(or forbearance) is the ability to endure difficult circumstances. Patience may involve perseverance in the face of delay; tolerance of provocation without responding in disrespect/anger; or forbearance when under strain, especially when faced ...
'', note 31
* Michael Diamond, ''Victorian Sensation'', (Anthem Press, 2003) . Chapter 7.
* Richard Fawkes, ''Dion Boucicault'' (Quartet books, 1979)
*
*
*
*
External links
*
*
Theater Arts Manuscripts:
An Inventory of the Collection at the Harry Ransom Center
The Harry Ransom Center (until 1983 the Humanities Research Center) is an archive, library and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe for the pur ...
*
The Fawkes Boucicault Collection
at the University of Kent
, motto_lang =
, mottoeng = Literal translation: 'Whom to serve is to reign'(Book of Common Prayer translation: 'whose service is perfect freedom')Graham Martin, ''From Vision to Reality: the Making of the University of Kent at Canterbury'' ...
Dion Boucicault Theatre Collection
at th
University of South Florida
Dion Boucicault Digital Collection
at th
University of South Florida
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boucicault, Dion
Irish male dramatists and playwrights
Irish male stage actors
American male dramatists and playwrights
American male stage actors
Male actors from Dublin (city)
People educated at University College School
People educated at Bruce Castle School
1822 births
1890 deaths
19th-century Irish dramatists and playwrights
19th-century Irish male actors
19th-century American dramatists and playwrights
19th-century American male actors