John Moody (1727?–1812), original name John Cochran, was an Irish actor. John Moody Hardy

Life

The son of a hairdresser named Cochran, he was born in

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

, and followed his father's occupation; his own account was that he was born in Stanhope Street,

Clare Market Clare Market is a historic area in central London located within the parish of St Clement Danes to the west of Lincoln's Inn Fields, between the Strand and Drury Lane, with Vere Street adjoining its western side. It was named after the food mark ...

, London. To the end of his life he claimed to be a Londoner. Perhaps to avoid being a forced recruit at the time of the

Jacobite rising of 1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745, also known as the Forty-five Rebellion or simply the '45 ( gd, Bliadhna Theàrlaich, , ), was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Franci ...

, he went to

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. Returning to England as Moody, with some property and acting experience, he went on the

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

circuit. He took the lead in both tragedy and comedy.

Tate Wilkinson Tate Wilkinson (27 October 173916 November 1803) was an English actor and manager. Life He was the son of a clergyman and was sent to Harrow. His first attempts at acting were badly received, and it was to his wonderful gift of mimicry that h ...

claimed to have been, 20 June 1759, at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

, Lord Townly in ''

The Provoked Husband ''The Provoked Husband'' is a 1728 comedy play by the British writer and actor Colley Cibber, based on a fragment of play written by John Vanbrugh. It is also known by the longer title ''The Provok'd Husband: or, a Journey to London''. Vanbrugh ...

'' (

John Vanburgh Sir John Vanbrugh (; 24 January 1664 (baptised) – 26 March 1726) was an English architect, dramatist and herald, perhaps best known as the designer of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard. He wrote two argumentative and outspoken Restora ...

and

Colley Cibber Colley Cibber (6 November 1671 – 11 December 1757) was an English actor-manager, playwright and Poet Laureate. His colourful memoir ''Apology for the Life of Colley Cibber'' (1740) describes his life in a personal, anecdotal and even rambling ...

) to Moody's Manly, with Moody having just arrived from Jamaica.

The London stage

Hired by

David Garrick David Garrick (19 February 1717 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil and friend of Sa ...

for Drury Lane, on 31 October 1759 Moody was the original Kingston in ''

High Life Below Stairs ''High Life Below Stairs'' is a 1759 comedy play by the British writer James Townley.Worrall p.30 An afterpiece, it premiered at Drury Lane on a double bill with a revival of Dryden's ''The Mourning Bride''. A popular hit, it was frequently revive ...

'', and on 12 February 1760 created his major character of Sir Callaghan O'Brallaghan in

Charles Macklin Charles Macklin (26 September 1699 – 11 July 1797), (Gaelic: Cathal MacLochlainn, English: Charles McLaughlin), was an Irish actor and dramatist who performed extensively at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Macklin revolutionised theatre in ...

's ''Love à la Mode''. With one season at the

Haymarket Theatre The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre on Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foote ...

, and occasional visits to the country, Moody remained at Drury Lane until the end of his theatrical career. In the season of 1760–1, he tried Teague in The Committee (

Sir Robert Howard Robert Howard may refer to: Entertainment * Robert Howard (playwright) (1626–1698), English playwright and politician * Robert Boardman Howard (1896–1983), American muralist and sculptor * Robert E. Howard (1906–1936), fantasy writer, crea ...

), one of his great parts. As the Irishman in ''The Jubilee'' (Garrick), and on 19 January 1771 as Major O'Flaherty in '' The West Indian'', he was becoming typecast as a stage Irishman. He played a Scottish servant, Colin MacLeod, in ''

The Fashionable Lover ''The Fashionable Lover'' is a comedy play by the British writer Richard Cumberland. It was first staged at the Drury Lane Theatre in London in January 1772. A sentimental comedy, it follows the adventures of Augusta Aubrey after she leaves her w ...

'', 20 January 1772, but he resumed his Irish types as Sir Patrick O'Neale in ''

The Irish Widow ''The Irish Widow'' is a play by David Garrick first staged at Drury Lane Theatre on 23 October 1772. It was written in less than a week by Garrick and resembled the plot of '' Le Mariage forcé'' by Molière. A comedy Comedy is a genre of fic ...

'', 23 October 1772, and O'Flam in

Samuel Foote Samuel Foote (January 1720 – 21 October 1777) was a British dramatist, actor and theatre manager. He was known for his comedic acting and writing, and for turning the loss of a leg in a riding accident in 1766 to comedic opportunity. Early l ...

's ''The Bankrupt'', in which, 21 July 1773, he appeared at the Haymarket.Back at Drury Lane he was, 9 November 1773, the original Commodore Flip in ''The Fair Quaker'', an alteration, attributed to Edward Thompson, of ''The Fair Quaker of Deal''; Conolly, an Irish clerk, in Hugh Kelly's ''School for Wives'', 11 December 1773; and McCormick, 9 February 1774, in ''Note of Hand, or a Trip to Newmarket'', written for him by Cumberland. At Drury Lane he played in following years Cacafogo in ''

Rule a Wife and Have a Wife ''Rule a Wife and Have a Wife'' is a late Jacobean stage comedy written by John Fletcher. It was first performed in 1624 and first published in 1640. It is a comedy with intrigue that tells the story of two couples that get married with false p ...

'', Second Witch in ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

'', Major Oldfox in ''

The Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday. As of Ma ...

'', Captain Bluff, Sir Sampson Legend, Sir Lucius O'Trigger, Sir Toby Belch, Roger in ''Æsop'', Gripe in ''

The Confederacy The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized Secession in the United States, breakaway republic in the ...

'' (

John Vanbrugh Sir John Vanbrugh (; 24 January 1664 (baptised) – 26 March 1726) was an English architect, dramatist and herald, perhaps best known as the designer of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard. He wrote two argumentative and outspoken Restora ...

), Sir Wilful Witwou'd, Dr. Cantwell, Dogberry, and other parts. On 21 September 1776 he was the original Phelim in George Colman's ''New Brooms''; 24 February 1777 the original Sir Tunbelly Clumsey in the ''Trip to Scarborough'', adapted from Vanbrugh by

Richard Brinsley Sheridan Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan (30 October 17517 July 1816) was an Irish satirist, a politician, a playwright, poet, and long-term owner of the London Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. He is known for his plays such as ''The Rivals'', ''The Sc ...

; 15 October 1778 the original O'Daub in ''The Camp'' (Sheridan); and, 29 October 1779, Lord Burleigh in ''The Critic'' (Sheridan). His other substantial original parts were: Dennis Dogherty in Isaac Jackman's ''The Divorce'', 10 November 1781; Major O'Flaherty in Cumberland's ''Natural Son'', 22 December 1784; and Hugo in Storace and Cobb's ''Haunted Tower'', 24 November 1789. Mr Moody and Mr Packer in the farce of the Register Office Saunders

Mr Moody and Mr Packer in the farce of the Register Office Saunders

In Liverpool, where Moody acted during the summer, and in other country towns, he tried more ambitious parts, as the King in ''

First Part of King Henry IV ''Henry IV, Part 1'' (often written as ''1 Henry IV'') is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. The play dramatises part of the reign of King Henry IV of England, beginning with the battle at ...

'', Iago, and Shylock.

Later years

After the season of 1795–6 the management, faced with Moody's spiritless performances, did not engage him, and he went into retirement. He emerged to play at Covent Garden, for the benefit of the Bayswater Hospital, 26 June 1804, Jobson in the ''Devil to Pay''. Moody retired to

Barnes Common Barnes Common is common land in the south east of Barnes, London, England, adjoining Putney Lower Common to the east and bounded to the south by the South Circular Road, London, Upper Richmond Road. Along with Barnes Green, it is one of the larges ...

, as a market gardener. He died 26 December 1812, at

Shepherd's Bush Shepherd's Bush is a district of West London, England, within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham west of Charing Cross, and identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Although primarily residential in character, i ...

(according to the ''

Gentleman's Magazine ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term ''magazine'' (from the French ''magazine'' ...

''), or in

Leicester Square Leicester Square ( ) is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. It was laid out in 1670 as Leicester Fields, which was named after the recently built Leicester House, itself named after Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester ...

(according to the ''

European Magazine ''The European Magazine'' (sometimes referred to as ''European Magazine'') was a monthly magazine published in London. Eighty-nine semi-annual volumes were published from 1782 until 1826. It was launched as the ''European Magazine, and London Re ...

''). He wished be buried in St. Clement's burial-ground, Portugal Street,

Lincoln's Inn Fields Lincoln's Inn Fields is the largest public square in London. It was laid out in the 1630s under the initiative of the speculative builder and contractor William Newton, "the first in a long series of entrepreneurs who took a hand in develo ...

, and that the headstone should bear the words, "A native of this parish, and an old member of Drury Lane Theatre;" but the cemetery was full, and his remains were interred in the churchyard at Barnes, near those of his first wife, who died 12 May 1805, aged 88. His widow, Kitty Ann Moody, died 29 October 1846, aged 83.

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Moody, John 1727 births 1812 deaths 18th-century Irish male actors Irish male stage actors Male actors from Cork (city) Irish emigrants to Great Britain