William Hamilton (actor)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

William Hamilton was an Irish
stage 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 (), lite ...
of the
eighteenth century The 18th century lasted from January 1, 1701 ( MDCCI) to December 31, 1800 ( MDCCC). During the 18th century, elements of Enlightenment thinking culminated in the American, French, and Haitian Revolutions. During the century, slave trad ...
. He was the son of the actress Sarah Hamilton. His aunt was the actress Anna Marcella Giffard. Along with his brother James, he first appeared on stage in January 1735 at the
Goodman's Fields Theatre Two 18th century theatres bearing the name Goodman's Fields Theatre were located on Alie Street, Whitechapel, London. The first opened on 31 October 1727 in a small shop by Thomas Odell, deputy Licenser of Plays. The first play performed was Ge ...
in London as a child actor. They continued to appear together in London at the
Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre Lisle's Tennis Court was a building off Portugal Street in Lincoln's Inn Fields in London. Originally built as a real tennis court, it was used as a playhouse during two periods, 1661–1674 and 1695–1705. During the early period, ...
and
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...
until 1739 when they returned with their parents to
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
and worked at the Smock Alley Theatre. His activities are unclear for a while after this, but as an adult he no longer performed with his brother. It is likely the same William Hamilton who performed in
Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
in 1749 and then became part of the Smock Alley company between 1749 and 1758. From 1766 he was back in London where he appeared at the King's Theatre and then joined
Samuel Foote Samuel Foote (January 1720 – 21 October 1777) was a British dramatist, actor and theatre manager. He was known for his comedic acting and writing, and for turning the loss of a leg in a riding accident in 1766 to comedic opportunity. Early l ...
's company 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 ...
. He split his time over the next few years appearing at the Haymarket in the summer and Covent Garden in the winter. He was reportedly the initial choice to play
Tony Lumpkin Tony Lumpkin is a fictional character who first appeared in Oliver Goldsmith's play, ''She Stoops to Conquer''. He may have been based on one of Goldsmith's friends. The story goes that Oliver Goldsmith wrote the play while staying with the Lumpkin ...
in the original production of
Oliver Goldsmith Oliver Goldsmith (10 November 1728 – 4 April 1774) was an Anglo-Irish novelist, playwright, dramatist and poet, who is best known for his novel ''The Vicar of Wakefield'' (1766), his pastoral poem ''The Deserted Village'' (1770), and his pl ...
's ''
She Stoops to Conquer ''She Stoops to Conquer'' is a comedy by Oliver Goldsmith, first performed in London in 1773. The play is a favourite for study by English literature and theatre classes in the English-speaking world. It is one of the few plays from the 18th ...
'' (1773) but lost the part due to a lack of attention. After this his prominence declined, and he made his final appearances in both theatres in 1774. He then began touring again and apart from appearances in Edinburgh and Belfast his later years are unknown. It is possible he was still alive in 1805, and one report had him supported in his final years by his niece.Highfill, Burnim & Langhans p.63-64


Selected roles

* Duke of Gloucester in ''King Charles I (play), King Charles I'' (1737) * Laird in ''A Trip to Portsmouth'' (1773)


References


Bibliography

* Highfill, Philip H, Burnim, Kalman A. & Langhans, Edward A. ''A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers, and Other Stage Personnel in London, 1660-1800: Garrick to Gyngell''. SIU Press, 1978. British male actors 18th-century Irish male actors 18th-century British male actors Irish emigrants to Kingdom of Great Britain Male actors from County Dublin {{Ireland-bio-stub