Maria Macklin (1733 – 1781) was a British actress. Her parents were both leading Irish born actors.

Life

During the 1730s her father

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 ...

and her mother Ann Grace Purvor were lovers. They were both Irish born actors appearing on the London and Dublin stages. Her mother assumed the name of Macklin although it is unlikely they ever married. She was born in 1733 in Portsmouth. By 1738 she and her parents were living in Covent Garden and in 1739 her mother stopped appearing as "Mrs Grace" and began appearing as "Mrs Macklin" as if they had been married. Her father made his name when he recreated the character of Shylock on 14 February 1741 using a natural form of acting and ignoring the comedic character that had become the tradition. Charles Macklin as Shylock, c

She took acting lessons from her father who had created a new way of acting when he appeared as Shylock. She made her debut on the stage in 1742 taking the role of the Duke of York in Richard III which was a role traditionally used to introduce new child actors. Her first adult role was on 10 April 1751 when she appeared as Athenais in ''Theodosius''. Her later role of Lady Townly in ''The Provok'd Husband'' was a comedic and was well received by the audience. In 1753 she joined the company at Drury Lane led 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 ...

. She appeared in an ''The Englishman in Paris'' repeating her role as Lucinda. The author replaced her father in the role of Buck as

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 ...

because he did not like her father's portrayal. Her father went off to start a coffee house featuring talks by himself whilst Maria improved her reportoire. In 1754/5 she played Polly in the ''Beggar's Opera'' and her mother's role of Wikow Lackit in ''Oroonoko''. In addition she created the first characterisations of Constantia in ''The Chances and Irene in ''Barbarossa''. She also played Rosalind in

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has b ...

, Jacintha in ''The Suspicious Husband'' and Almeira in ''The Mourning Bride''. She played Almeira at her benefit that season. Her mother became ill and this meant that she and her father had to turn down on off to both of them in order that they could care for Anne. Her mother died on 28 December 1758. Maria was still working at Drury Lane where she was well treated by David Garrick. She left in 1760 to appear as

Juliet Juliet Capulet () is the female protagonist in William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. A 13-year-old girl, Juliet is the only daughter of the patriarch of the House of Capulet. She falls in love with the male protagonist R ...

at Covent Garden leaving Drury Lane at the same time as her father, who had fallen out with Garrick. In 1768

Johan Zoffany Johan Joseph Zoffany (born Johannes Josephus Zaufallij; 13 March 1733 – 11 November 1810) was a German neoclassical painter who was active mainly in England, Italy and India. His works appear in many prominent British collections, includin ...

created a painting of her father's renowned role of

Shylock Shylock is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's play ''The Merchant of Venice'' (c. 1600). A Venetian Jewish moneylender, Shylock is the play's principal antagonist. His defeat and conversion to Christianity form the climax of the ...

. Maria was included in the painting in the role of Portia and

Jane Lessingham Jane Lessingham née Hemet (1738 or 1739 –- 13 March 1783) (married name Jane Stott) was a stage actress from 1756 to 1782. Lessingham predominately performed at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, where she was known for both her beauty and her s ...

is at the foot of the dias. The painting is unusual in that it includes

Lord Mansfield William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, PC, SL (2 March 170520 March 1793) was a British barrister, politician and judge noted for his reform of English law. Born to Scottish nobility, he was educated in Perth, Scotland, before moving to Lond ...

to the left who may have commissioned the painting which is now in

The Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

in London. She became a popular actress. Her father soon began an affair with his servant Elizabeth Jones after his wife died. Elizabeth was about the same age as Maria. Elizabeth and her father were together for some years before they married on 13 February 1778. She died in 1781 after having a growth on her knee removed. It was said that the growth was due to tightening her garters too much when playing

breeches role A breeches role (also pants role or trouser role, or Hosenrolle) is one in which an actress appears in male clothing. Breeches, tight-fitting knee-length pants, were the standard male garment at the time these roles were introduced. The theatric ...

s. She had put off having her legs examined until surgery was the only option.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macklin, Maria 1733 births Actresses from Portsmouth 1781 deaths