R. C. Carton (born Richard Claude Critchett, 10 May 1853 – 1 April 1928) was an English actor and playwright.

Life and career

Carton was born in London on 10 May 1853, a son of the oculist George Critchett and his wife Martha ''née'' Brooker. A brother,

Anderson Critchett Sir George Anderson Critchett, 1st Baronet, (18 December 1845 – 9 February 1925) was a British surgeon.{{cite journal, last1=Laios, first1=Konstantinos, last2=Moschos, first2=Marilita M., last3=Androutsos, first3=George, date=February 2017, tit ...

, later became the royal oculist. Carton trained as an architect, but turned to the theatre and began his career as an actor at the New Theatre Royal,

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

in March 1875, in ''The Sea of Ice'', and made his first appearance in London, at the Lyceum Theatre on 19 June 1875, as Osric in

Henry Irving Sir Henry Irving (6 February 1838 – 13 October 1905), christened John Henry Brodribb, sometimes known as J. H. Irving, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility ( ...

's production of ''

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 ...

''. In 1876 he married Katherine Julia Mackenzie – eldest daughter of the actor Edward Compton – who acted under the stage name Katherine Compton. Carton played in ''Queen Mary'', 1876, ''New Men and Old Acres'', 1878, ''Truth'', 1879, ''

The Rivals ''The Rivals'' is a comedy of manners by Richard Brinsley Sheridan in five acts which was first performed at Covent Garden Theatre on 17 January 1775. The story has been updated frequently, including a 1935 musical and a 1958 List of Maverick ...

'', 1880, ''Low Water'', 1884, ''

The Private Secretary ''The Private Secretary'' is an 1883 farce in three acts, by Charles Hawtrey (actor born 1858), Charles Hawtrey. The play, adapted from a German original, depicts the vicissitudes of a mild young clergyman, innocently caught up in the machinatio ...

'', 1884 and ''Bad Boys'', 1885, after which he retired from acting.Parker, pp. 137–138 As a playwright his first plays were written in collaboration with Cecil Raleigh, and included ''The Great Pink Pearl'', 1885; ''The Pointsman'', 1887, and ''The Treasure'', 1888. His first play written alone was ''Sunlight and Shadow'', produced at the

Avenue Theatre The Playhouse Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Northumberland Avenue, near Trafalgar Square, central London. The Theatre was built by F. H. Fowler and Hill with a seating capacity of 1,200. It was rebuilt i ...

in 1890, by George Alexander. His other plays of the 1890s were ''

Liberty Hall Liberty Hall ( ga, Halla na Saoirse), in Dublin, Ireland, is the headquarters of the Services, Industrial, Professional, and Technical Union (SIPTU). Designed by Desmond Rea O'Kelly, it was completed in 1965. It was for a time the tallest b ...

'', St James's Theatre, 1892; ''Robin Goodfellow'', Garrick Theatre, 1893; ''The Fall of the Leaf'', 1893; ''

The Home Secretary The Home Secretary is a four-act play by R. C. Carton, first produced in 1895 in the West End of London. Production The play was first given at the Criterion Theatre, London, under the actor-manager Charles Wyndham. It opened on 7 May 1895 an ...

'',

Criterion Theatre The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre at Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has a seating capacity of 588. Building the theatre In 1870, the caterers Spiers and Pond began development ...

, 1895; ''The Squire of Dames'', Criterion, 1895; ''A White Elephant'', Comedy Theatre, 1896; ''The Tree of Knowledge'', St James's, 1896; '' Lord and Lady Algy'', Avenue, 1898; and ''Wheels Within Wheels'', Court Theatre, 1899. Carton's plays from 1900 onwards were '' Lady Huntworth's Experiment'', Criterion, 1900; ''The Ninth Waltz'', Garrick, 1900; ''The Undercurrent'', Criterion, 1901; ''A Clean Slate'', Criterion, 1902; ''The Rich Mrs Repton'', Duke of York's Theatre, 1904; ''Mr Hopkinson'', Avenue, 1905; ''Public Opinion'', Wyndham's Theatre, 1905; ''Lady Barbarity'', Comedy, 1908; ''Mr Preedy and the Countess'', Criterion, 1909; ''Lorrimer Sabiston, Dramatist'', St James's, 1909; ''Eccentric Lord Comberdene'', St James's, 1910; ''An Eye-Opener'', London Coliseum, 1911; ''The Bear Leaders'', Comedy, 1912; ''A Busy Day'', Apollo Theatre, 1915; ''The Off-Chance'', Queen's Theatre, 1917, ''Nurse Benson'' (with Justin Huntley McCarthy),

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend, and gra ...

, ''The Wonderful Visit'',

St Martin's Theatre St Martin's Theatre is a West End theatre which has staged the production of ''The Mousetrap'' since March 1974, making it the longest continuous run of any show in the world. The theatre is located in West Street, near Shaftesbury Avenue, in t ...

, 1921; and ''Other People's Worries'', Comedy, 1922. Carton died in London on 1 April 1928, aged 74. His widow outlived him by a few weeks, dying at their London home on 18 May 1928.

References

Sources

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Carton, R.C. 1853 births 1928 deaths British writers English actors English male dramatists and playwrights Male actors from London