Mark Hart (c. 1873,
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...
- November 25, 1950, Worcester) was an American
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 ...
who had a five decade long career on the American stage.
Life and career
Born in Worcester, Mark Hart was the nephew of actor
Tony Hart
Norman Antony Hart (15 October 1925 – 18 January 2009),Debrett's People of Today 2008, Debrett's Peerage Ltd, 2007. known professionally as Tony Hart, was an English artist best known for his work in educating children in art through his role ...
. While a teenager he began his career performing with his uncle and the actor
Edward Harrigan in their well known
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
act Harrigan & Hart.
He made his
Broadway debut in 1905 portraying the conniving politician Pat McCann in the
Jean Schwartz and
William Jerome
William Jerome Flannery, September 30, 1865 – June 25, 1932) was an American songwriter, born in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York of Irish immigrant parents, Mary Donnellan and Patrick Flannery. He collaborated with numerous well-known composers a ...
musical ''
Fritz in Tammany Hall
''Fritz in Tammany Hall'' is a musical theatre, musical in three acts with music by Jean Schwartz, lyrics by William Jerome, and a book by John J. McNally. The musical takes place in 1905 in New York City and on Long Island. It was a political spo ...
''. He portrayed another politician, Sam Grady, in
Joseph E. Howard
Joseph Edgar Howard (February 12, 1870May 19, 1961) was an American Broadway composer, lyricist, librettist, and performer. A famed member of Tin Pan Alley along with wife and composer Ida Emerson as part of the song-writing team of Howard and Eme ...
's 1906 Broadway musical ''The District Leader'' at
Wallack's Theatre
Three New York City playhouses named Wallack's Theatre played an important part in the history of American theater, as the successive homes of the Repertory theatre, stock company managed by actors James William Wallack, James W. Wallack and hi ...
. He returned to Broadway in 1912 as Sarsfield O'Brien in ''The Girl from Brighton'' at the
Academy of Music.
[Mantle, Sherwood & Chapman, p. 474]
Hart served a term as vice president of
The Lambs. He also served as an officer of the
Actors' Equity Association
The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing those who work in live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions without a boo ...
and was a member of the
White Rats of America
The White Rats was a fraternal organization formed by vaudeville performers, led by George Fuller Golden, as a labor union to support the rights of male performers. Women and African-American performers were not allowed to join. The White Rats at ...
. He died at the age of 77 on November 25, 1950, in Worcester, Massachusetts.
References
Citations
Bibliography
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External links
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1873 births
1950 deaths
American musical theatre actors
American stage actors
Male actors from Worcester, Massachusetts
American vaudeville performers
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