Hugh Atwell (died 1621) was an English

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

. Atwell was one of the " Children of her Majesty's Revels", who is known to have taken part in the first representation of

Ben Jonson Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...

's " Epicœne" in 1609. From a funeral elegy by

William Rowley William Rowley (c. 1585 – February 1626) was an English Jacobean dramatist, best known for works written in collaboration with more successful writers. His date of birth is estimated to have been c. 1585; he was buried on 11 February 1626 in ...

, upon the death of Hugh Atwell, "servant of Prince Charles", on 25 September 1621, he has been accounted an actor of some note. In the " Alleyn Papers" Atwell's name is mentioned as the witness of a loan from

Philip Henslowe Philip Henslowe (c. 1550 – 6 January 1616) was an Elizabethan theatrical entrepreneur and impresario. Henslowe's modern reputation rests on the survival of his diary, a primary source for information about the theatrical world of Renaissance ...

Robert Daborne Robert Daborne (c. 1580 – 23 March 1628) was an English dramatist of the Jacobean era. His father was also Robert Daborne, heir to family property in Guildford, Surrey and other places, including London, and a wealthy haberdasher by trade ...

of twenty shillings in 1613. Atwell's name also appears as one of

Alleyn's Alleyn's School is a 4–18 co-educational, independent, Church of England, day school and sixth form in Dulwich, London, England. It is a registered charity and was originally part of Edward Alleyn's College of God's Gift charitable foundation, ...

company, applying to him for an advance of money. Another player of the same surname in Henslowe's company, George Attwell, has been regarded as the father of Hugh Atwell.

References

* ;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Atwell, Hugh Year of birth unknown 1621 deaths 17th-century English male actors English male stage actors