William Creswick (27 December 1813 – 17 June 1888) was an English actor. A popular tragedian on the London stage, he appeared with many leading actors of his day, including William Charles Macready,

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

Fanny Kemble Frances Anne "Fanny" Kemble (27 November 180915 January 1893) was a British actress from a theatre family in the early and mid-19th century. She was a well-known and popular writer and abolitionist, whose published works included plays, poetry ...

and was well known for his Shakespearean and

melodrama A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...

roles in Britain, the U.S. and Australia.

Early years

Creswick was born near

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

, London. He was intended for a mercantile career, but the death of his father when Creswick was 17 left him free to follow his theatrical vocation.Shaw, Robert Gould.
''Exhibition of prints and playbills to illustrate the history of the Boston stage, 1825-1850''
pp. 82–83, Boston: The Club of Odd Volumes (1915). Under the name of "Master Collins" Creswick appeared in 1831 at a theatre in the

East End The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...

, playing an Italian boy in a drama on the subject of "burking" (murder with the motive of selling the victim's body to anatomists).''The Era'' obituary notice, 23 June 1888. p. 8. He appeared with travelling companies in

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

and

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

and then played leading roles in the north of England. There, in 1834, he met Elizabeth Page (1809–1876), whose stage name was Miss Paget, whom subsequently he married. His next appearance in London was at the Queen's Theatre, Tottenham Street on 16 February 1835, as Horace Meredith in

Douglas William Jerrold Douglas William Jerrold (London 3 January 18038 June 1857 London) was an English dramatist and writer. Biography Jerrold's father, Samuel Jerrold, was an actor and lessee of the little theatre of Wilsby near Cranbrook in Kent. In 1807 Dougla ...

's comedy, ''Schoolfellows.'' Returning to touring in York, he played the leading part in ''Ion'', continuing to tour in the provinces. In April 1839, he appeared at the

Lyceum Theatre, London The Lyceum Theatre ( ) is a West End theatre located in the City of Westminster, on Wellington Street, just off the Strand in central London. It has a seating capacity of 2,100. The origins of the theatre date to 1765. Managed by Samuel Arnold ...

, first in ''Silver Crescent''. In 1839, Creswick and his wife travelled to the U.S., staying for nearly four years, where Creswick greatly increased his reputation. They began with engagements in New York and then joined the company of the Tremont Theatre in

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 ...

for the season of 1840-41, afterwards touring throughout North America. Upon their return to England, Creswick resumed touring in the North. On 25 July 1846 Creswick joined

Samuel Phelps Samuel Phelps (born 13 February 1804, Plymouth Dock (now Devonport), Plymouth, Devon, died 6 November 1878, Anson's Farm, Coopersale, near Epping, Essex) was an English actor and theatre manager. He is known for his productions of William Sha ...

's company at Sadler's Wells, playing Hotspur and other parts. At the Princess's Theatre in April 1847, he played Master Walter in ''The Hunchback'' to

's Julia, and subsequently supported her in other roles. At the same theatre he played with William Charles Macready, opposite whom his Shakespearean roles included Cassius, Macduff and Edgar. Creswick was engaged for three years at the

Haymarket Theatre The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre on Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foote ...

, where he first appeared in July 1847 as Claude Melnotte to the Pauline of

Helen Faucit Helena Saville Faucit, Lady Martin (11 October 1817 – 31 October 1898) was an English actress. Early life Born in London, she was the daughter of actors John Saville Faucit and Harriet Elizabeth Savill. Her parents separated when she was a g ...

in ''The Lady of Lyons'' by

Edward Bulwer-Lytton Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton, PC (25 May 180318 January 1873) was an English writer and politician. He served as a Whig member of Parliament from 1831 to 1841 and a Conservative from 1851 to 1866. He was Secret ...

. In October of that year he was the first Vivian Temple in Westland Marston's ''Heart and the World''. He was also seen as True-worth in ''

The Love Chase ''The Love Chase'' is an 1837 comedy play by the Irish-born writer James Sheridan Knowles. It premiered at the Haymarket Theatre in London on 10 October 1837 with a cast that included Robert Strickland as Sir William Fondlove, Edward William Elt ...

'', Mordaunt in '' The Patrician's Daughter'', Proteus in ''

Two Gentlemen of Verona ''The Two Gentlemen of Verona'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1589 and 1593. It is considered by some to be Shakespeare's first play, and is often seen as showing his first tent ...

'' (December 1848), the Ghost in ''

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 ...

'', and Cassio in ''

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cypru ...

''.

Later years

In 1849, Creswick, in partnership with Richard Shepherd took over the management of the

Surrey Theatre The Surrey Theatre, London began life in 1782 as the Royal Circus and Equestrian Philharmonic Academy, one of the many circuses that provided entertainment of both horsemanship and drama (hippodrama). It stood in Blackfriars Road, near the jun ...

, opening as Alasco in

James Sheridan Knowles James Sheridan Knowles (12 May 1784 – 30 November 1862) was an Irish dramatist and actor. Biography Knowles was born in Cork. His father was the lexicographer James Knowles (1759–1840), cousin of Richard Brinsley Sheridan. The family mov ...

's '' The Rose of Arragon''. At the Surrey he appeared for three years in roles including the Stranger, Virginius, Richelieu and Hamlet, and in February 1849, he was the first Laroque in

Henry Fothergill Chorley Henry Fothergill Chorley (15 December 1808 – 16 February 1872) was an English literary, art and music critic, writer and editor. He was also an author of novels, drama, poetry and lyrics. Chorley was a prolific and important music and litera ...

's ''Old Love and New Fortune''. He was also seen as Damon in ''Damon and Pythias'', ''Adam Bede'', and other roles. He starred as Count Fosco in the 1860 dramatization of "The Woman in White" at the Surrey Theatre. Retiring from management in 1862, he played at

Drury Lane Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster. Notable landmarks ...

and other theatres as Othello, Iago, Macbeth, and Iachimo. Rejoining Shepherd in 1866, he played Martin Truegold in Angiolo Robson Slous's nautical drama, ''True to the Core''. In 1871 Creswick made a second trip to America, appearing first as Joe, the idiot foundling, in

Watts Phillips Watts Phillips (16 November 1825 – 2 December 1874) was an English illustrator, novelist and playwright best known for his play ''The Dead Heart'', which served as a model for Charles Dickens' ''A Tale of Two Cities''. In a memoir, his sister E ...

's ''Nobody's Child'', a part in which he had been seen at the Surrey Theatre in 1867, and played with

Charlotte Cushman Charlotte Saunders Cushman (July 23, 1816 – February 18, 1876) was an American stage actress. Her voice was noted for its full contralto register, and she was able to play both male and female parts. She lived intermittently in Rome, in an expa ...

and

. Upon his return to England, he appeared with Phelps, at Drury Lane for several years. In 1877, after being given a benefit at the Gaiety Theatre, in which he played Macbeth, he went to Australia, where he opened in Melbourne in the title role of Sheridan Knowles's '' Virginius'', and was enthusiastically received. He repeated this role at the Surrey upon his return to England, also playing at the Standard and other theatres thereafter. Creswick was a founder member and governor of the Shakespeare Memorial Association in

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-we ...

, where he acted in the festival of 1883, playing Falstaff, Lear and Shylock. For his farewell benefit he appeared at Drury Lane on 29 October 1885, in a scene from ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane an ...

'', as part of a miscellaneous entertainment in which others appearing included

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 ( ...

, Wilson Barrett, George Grossmith,

Lionel Brough Lionel "Lal" Brough (10 March 1836 – 8 November 1909) was a British actor and comedian. After beginning a journalistic career and performing as an amateur, he became a professional actor, performing mostly in Liverpool during the mid-1860s. He ...

, William Farren Jr.,

John Martin Harvey Sir John Martin-Harvey (22 June 1863 – 14 May 1944), known before his knighthood in 1921 as John Martin Harvey, was an English stage actor-manager. Born in Bath Street, Wivenhoe, Essex, he was the son of John Harvey, a yacht-designer and ...

and George Alexander.''The Era'', 31 October 1885, p. 8 Creswick died on 17 June 1888, and was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery. The

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

said of him in 1901, '' The Era'' said of him,

Notes

References

Illustration from NPG site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Creswick, William 1813 births 1888 deaths Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery English male stage actors 19th-century English male actors