Thomas Grattan Riggs (January 1835 – 15 June 1899) was a US-born actor who had a significant career in Australia portraying Irish characters, though he never visited the place.

History

Riggs was born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

to parents from County Westmeath, and took to the stage when quite young, but his burgeoning career in America was cut short by the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. He was one of the four founders of the

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City. History The Elks began in 1868 as a soci ...

. A useful biography which includes a photograph of his original headstone. He came to Australia under contract to Coppin & Harwood or Coppin, Greville & Hennings, appearing first on 27 March 1880 at the

Theatre Royal, Melbourne The Theatre Royal was one of the premier theatres for nearly 80 years in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 1855 to 1932. It was located at what is now 236 Bourke Street, once the heart of the city's theatre and entertainment distri ...

as Suil Gair and three other characters in John F. Poole's drama "Shin Fane or Shamrock Green", written expressly for him. This "sorry piece of patchwork", according to one critic, nevertheless delighted a large audience. For his portrayal of Irish brogue and mannerisms, he was said to be the equal of John Drew, or better.

Death

In later years Riggs suffered from

dropsy Edema, also spelled oedema, and also known as fluid retention, dropsy, hydropsy and swelling, is the build-up of fluid in the body's tissue. Most commonly, the legs or arms are affected. Symptoms may include skin which feels tight, the area ma ...

and jaundice, and despite entreaties of friends anxious about his health, he embarked on a tour of Tasmania, playing his most famous successes: ''Shin Fane'', ''The Irish Detective'', and ''Conn the Shaughraun'' (ie vagabond). Collapsing after a performance at the

Gaiety Theatre, Zeehan The Gaiety Theatre and Grand Hotel is a historic theatre and hotel in Zeehan, Tasmania, Australia. History Draper and hotelier Edward Mulcahy M.H.A built a timber hotel called the Royal Exchange on the site of an abandoned silver and lead mine ...

, his last words spoken on stage implored the audience to remember "poor old Conn". He died in the Strahan hospital, and was buried in the town's cemetery. This was the place where twelve months previously (10 June 1898) he had broken his arm. His headstone read "Don't forget the poor Shaughraun. In memory of Thomas Grattan Riggs, Born at Buffalo, U.S.A., 1835; Died 15th June 1899, Aged Sixty-four years. Erected by His Friends." The Elks, the fraternal order of which he was a lifetime member, arranged in 1908 to provide a headstone for his grave.

Than him no kindlier-hearted man or woman ever lived, and the name of Thomas Grattan Riggs will be long remembered throughout Australasia as that borne by a fine actor and an honorable man.

Family

Riggs married twice; his first wife having died young, he married again in 1865, to one Lizzie Cade. She also died; their son, Anthony Riggs, had a career in America as a

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...

on the

comic opera Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue. Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a ne ...

stage.

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riggs, Grattan 1835 births 1899 deaths 19th-century American male actors American male stage actors Australian male stage actors