James Wrighten (b. 1745 - d. 1793) was an English actor. He trained to work as a copperplate printer, but left that occupation for the stage. He moved from

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and made his debut at

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 ...

on 21 February 1779. He afterwards acted in numerous roles at the theatre until 1793, beginning work as a prompter in 1786. Wrighten married prominent actress and singer Mary Ann Wrighten née Matthews in Birmingham in about 1769 and the couple moved to London to work in theatre. They had two daughters, Mary and Charlotte, maintaining a stormy relationship. They divorced in a public scandal that was widely covered in the press, after which Mary Ann Wrighten took her daughters and moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

to pursue a career in theatre there. Wrighten also had a daughter by another marriage. He died in London at the age of 48.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wrighten, James 1745 births 1793 deaths Male actors from London 18th-century English male actors English male stage actors