Otis Skinner (June 28, 1858 – January 4, 1942) was an American stage actor active during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Early life
Otis A. Skinner was born on June 28, 1858, in
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...
the middle of three boys raised by Charles and Cornelia Skinner. He was later brought up in
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...
where Charles Skinner served as a
Universalist minister. His older brother,
Charles Montgomery Skinner
Charles Montgomery Skinner (15 March 1852 – 1907) was an American writer.
Newspaper career
Skinner was born in Victor, New York. His career in literature and journalism included editorship of the '' Brooklyn Eagle''. His study of the pap ...
, became a noted journalist and critic in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, while his younger brother William was an artist. Skinner was educated in Hartford with an eye towards a career in commerce but a visit to the theater left him stage-struck. He secured his father's blessing for a theatrical career, and his father not only approved but also obtained from
P. T. Barnum
Phineas Taylor Barnum (; July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus (1871–2017) with James Anthony Bailey. He was ...
an introduction to
William Pleater Davidge
William Pleater Davidge (17 April 1814 – 7 August 1888) was an English comedian, who came to the United States in 1850 and became identified with the American Stage.
Biography
He was born in London, and appeared as a youthful amateur at Drury ...
. Davidge employed him at eight dollars a week, and Skinner's career was launched. In the latter half of the 1870s, he played various bit roles in stock companies, and alongside stars such as
John Edward McCullough
John Edward McCullough (November 2, 1832 – November 8, 1885) was an Irish-born American actor.
Biography
John Edward McCullough was born in Coleraine, Ireland (today part of Northern Ireland). He went to America at the age of 16, and made ...
. He built up his repertoire for several years in New York and
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, including three years with
Lawrence Barrett
Lawrence Barrett (April 4, 1838 – March 20, 1891) was an American stage actor.
Biography
A native of Paterson, New Jersey, Barrett was born in 1838 to Mary Agnes (née Read) Barrett and tailor Thomas Barrett, Irish immigrants who had settle ...
.
Career
By the mid-1880s, he was touring first with
Augustin Daly
John Augustin Daly (July 20, 1838June 7, 1899) was one of the most influential men in American theatre during his lifetime. Drama critic, theatre manager, playwright, and adapter, he became the first recognized stage director in America. He exer ...
, then, in 1889, with the troupe of
Edwin Booth
Edwin Thomas Booth (November 13, 1833 – June 7, 1893) was an American actor who toured throughout the United States and the major capitals of Europe, performing Shakespearean plays. In 1869, he founded Booth's Theatre in New York. Some theatri ...
and
Helena Modjeska. After that season, he played
Romeo
Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Lord Montague and his wife, Lady Montague, he secretly loves and marries Juliet, a member of the rival House of Capulet, through a priest ...
in London opposite
Margaret Mather
Margaret Mather (1859–1898) was a Canadian actress.
Biography
She was born in poverty in Tilbury, Ontario, as Margaret Finlayson, daughter of John Finlayson, a farmer and mechanic, and Ann Mather. She was one of the most famous Shakespearean ac ...
. His association with Mather lasted two years; after, with Booth dead, he returned to Modjeska, starring opposite her in her most famous roles. He also originated the role of Schwartz in
Hermann Sudermann
Hermann Sudermann (30 September 1857 – 21 November 1928) was a German dramatist and novelist.
Life
Early career
Sudermann was born at Matzicken, a village to the east of Heydekrug in the Province of Prussia (now Macikai and Å ilutÄ—, i ...
's ''Magda'', and played Armand in
Dumas's ''
Camille''.
![Otis Skinner](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Otis_Skinner.jpg)
![George Luks - Otis Skinner as Col](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/George_Luks_-_Otis_Skinner_as_Col._Philippe_Bridau_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg)
By the mid-1890s, he was a star in his own right. In 1894, he produced and starred in
Clyde Fitch
Clyde Fitch (May 2, 1865 – September 4, 1909) was an American dramatist, the most popular writer for the Broadway stage of his time (c. 1890–1909).
Biography
Born in Elmira, New York, and educated at Holderness School and Amherst College (cl ...
's ''His Grace de Grammont''; the same year, he performed in his brother's translation of
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...
's ''
Le roi s'amuse
''Le roi s'amuse'' (; literally, ''The King Amuses Himself'' or ''The King Has Fun'') is a French play in five acts written by Victor Hugo. First performed on 22 November 1832 but banned by the government after one evening, the play was used for G ...
''. In 1895 in Chicago, he succeeded as Hamlet. From 1895, he was associated with the troupe of
Joseph Jefferson
Joseph Jefferson III, commonly known as Joe Jefferson (February 20, 1829 – April 23, 1905), was an American actor. He was the third actor of this name in a family of actors and managers, and one of the most famous 19th century American comedia ...
.
He excelled in Shakespearean roles like
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 ...
,
Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
,
Richard III
Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...
and
Romeo
Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Lord Montague and his wife, Lady Montague, he secretly loves and marries Juliet, a member of the rival House of Capulet, through a priest ...
, and his Colonel Phillipe Brideau in ''The Honor of the Family'' was considered one of the greatest comedic performances of the first quarter of the twentieth century. Skinner's signature role was as Hajj the beggar in ''
Kismet'' (1911) on
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
, and he continued playing it on stage for twenty years, recreating his performance both in the
1920 and
1930
Events
January
* January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...
film
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
versions of the play.
His later roles included Tony Comaradino in
Booth Tarkington's Mister Antonic(1917),'' Albert Mott in ''
Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty is a character in an English nursery rhyme, probably originally a riddle and one of the best known in the English-speaking world. He is typically portrayed as an anthropomorphic egg, though he is not explicitly described as such. ...
'' (1918), the title role in ''
Sancho Panza
Sancho Panza () is a fictional character in the novel ''Don Quixote'' written by Spanish author Don Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra in 1605. Sancho acts as squire to Don Quixote and provides comments throughout the novel, known as ''sanchismos'', ...
'' in
Melchior Lengyel
Melchior Lengyel (born Menyhért Lebovics; hu, Lengyel Menyhért; 12 January 1880 – 23 October 1974) was a Hungarian writer, dramatist, and film screenwriter.
Biography
Lengyel was born Menyhért Lebovics in Balmazújváros, Hungary. He sta ...
's adaptation of ''
Don Quixote
is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of Wester ...
'' (featuring
Lucille Kahn Lucille may refer to:
People
People with the given name "Lucille":
* Lucille Bailie (born 1969), Australian basketball player
* Lucille Ball (1911–1989), American actress best known for the television series ''I Love Lucy''
* Lucille Berrien ( ...
in a supporting role),
Sir John Falstaff
Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare and is eulogised in a fourth. His significance as a fully developed character is primarily formed in the plays ''Henry IV, Part 1'' and '' Part 2'', wh ...
in both ''
Henry IV, part 1
''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 ...
'' (1926) and ''
The Merry Wives of Windsor
''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' or ''Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a ref ...
'' (1928), and
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 ...
opposite the
Portia of
Maude Adams
Maude Ewing Adams Kiskadden (November 11, 1872 – July 17, 1953), known professionally as Maude Adams, was an American actress who achieved her greatest success as the character Peter Pan, first playing the role in the 1905 Broadway production ...
(1931–32) in ''
The Merchant of Venice
''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock.
Although classified as ...
''.
Skinner was a successful writer whose books included ''Footlights and Spotlights'' and ''Mad Folk of the Theatre''. In 1902, he turned
Mary Hartwell Catherwood
Mary Hartwell Catherwood (December 16, 1847 – December 26, 1902) was an American writer of popular historical romances, short stories, and poetry. Early in her career she published under her birth name, Mary Hartwell, and under the pseudonym L ...
's novel ''Lazarre'' (1901) into a successful stage play.
[Wilson, Milton L]
''Biography of Mary Hartwell Catherwood''
Newark, Ohio: American Tribune Printery, 1904, pp.71-72,76.
Skinner's daughter
Cornelia Otis Skinner
Cornelia Otis Skinner (May 30, 1899 – July 9, 1979) was an American writer and actress.
Biography
Skinner was the only child of actor Otis Skinner and actress Maud Durbin. After attending the all-girls' Baldwin School and Bryn Mawr College ...
, who became an actress and writer, was born in 1899. Otis Skinner was portrayed onscreen by
Charlie Ruggles
Charles Sherman Ruggles (February 8, 1886 – December 23, 1970) was an American comic character actor. In a career spanning six decades, Ruggles appeared in close to 100 feature films, often in mild-mannered and comic roles. He was also the e ...
in the film version of Cornelia's book ''
Our Hearts Were Young and Gay
''Our Hearts Were Young and Gay'' is a book by actress Cornelia Otis Skinner and journalist Emily Kimbrough, published in 1942. The book presents a description of their European tour in the 1920s, when they were fresh out of college from Bryn M ...
''.
He was a devout
Episcopalian
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...
and a member of the Episcopal Actors Guild.
Death
Otis Skinner died at his home in New York City on January 4, 1942, nearly a month after he had fallen ill while attending a benefit performance of "The Wookey" held at the Plymouth Theatre (today
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
The Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, formerly the Plymouth Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 236 West 45th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1917, the theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was ...
). He had last appeared on stage in 1935, reciting the Forward in a revival of
George M. Cohan
George Michael Cohan (July 3, 1878November 5, 1942) was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer.
Cohan began his career as a child, performing with his parents and sister in a vaudev ...
's ''
Seven Keys to Baldpate''. Actress
Maud Durbin
Maud Durbin (November 9, 1871 – December 25, 1936) was an American actress. She was the wife of actor Otis Skinner and the mother of actress and author Cornelia Otis Skinner.
Durbin was born in Moberly, Missouri, on November 9, 1871. A protà ...
, his wife for over forty years, died on
Christmas Day
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...
, 1936.
[Mrs. Otis Skinner, Actor's Wife, Dead, ''New York Times'', December 26, 1936; pg. 11]
References
External links
*
*
Otis Skinnerportrait gallery ; University of Washington, Sayre collection
*
Skinner Family papersat Houghton Library, Harvard University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skinner, Otis
1858 births
1942 deaths
19th-century American male actors
American male stage actors
20th-century American male actors
Male actors from Boston
Male actors from Cambridge, Massachusetts
Burials in Vermont
American Episcopalians