William Jones Hill (14 January 1834 – 13 April 1888), billed as W. J. Hill, was an English actor, singer and comedian.Boase, Federic
Modern English Biography (volume 1 of 4) A-H
(2018) Hill began his career in New York in 1868. Upon his return to England, he began in roles at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England ...

in such works as '' The Wedding March'' (1873). He was later a member of the company at the

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 developmen ...

."Our Omnibus Box"
in ''The Theater: A Monthly Review and Magazine'',

Clement Scott Clement William Scott (6 October 1841 – 25 June 1904) was an influential English theatre critic for ''The Daily Telegraph'' and other journals, and a playwright, lyricist, translator and travel writer, in the final decades of the 19th century ...

(ed.), Wyman & Sons, 1 May 1888, p. 281 He appeared in the dual roles of Phyllon and " Mr. L" in ''

The Happy Land ''The Happy Land'' is a play with music written in 1873 by W. S. Gilbert (under the pseudonym F. Latour Tomline) and Gilbert Arthur à Beckett. The musical play burlesques Gilbert's earlier play, ''The Wicked World''. The blank verse piece op ...

'' (1873) and Ladle in "

No Thoroughfare ''No Thoroughfare'' is a stage play and novel by Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins, both released in December 1867. Background In 1867 Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins collaborated to produce a stage play titled ''No Thoroughfare: A Drama: ...

" at the

Olympic Theatre The Olympic Theatre, sometimes known as the Royal Olympic Theatre, was a 19th-century London theatre, opened in 1806 and located at the junction of Drury Lane, Wych Street and Newcastle Street. The theatre specialised in comedies throughout ...

in London in 1876. In 1882, he starred as Rev. William Barlow in '' The Vicar of Bray''. He also played the role of Mr. Cattermole in '' The Private Secretary''."The London Theatres", '' The Era'', 5 April 1884, p. 6 Until two days before his death at the age of 54, he was playing the role of Irascible Fizzleton in ''Nita's First'' at the

Novelty Theatre The Novelty Theatre (later renamed the Great Queen Street Theatre from 1900 to 1907, and the Kingsway Theatre from 1907 to 1941) was a London theatre. It opened in 1882 in Great Queen Street and was accessed off Little Queen Street until 1905, ...

in London.

Notes

References

Wilkie-Collins information

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1834 births 1888 deaths 19th-century English singers English expatriate male actors in the United States English male comedians {{UK-singer-stub