William Harris (1844 – November 25, 1916) was a prominent American theatrical producer who owned or held a large interest in some 50 theatres in New York City, Boston and Chicago. He was considered the dean of theatrical managers. His children included Henry B. Harris and William Harris Jr., both theatrical producers.

Biography

Born in Prussia, William Harris was brought to the United States at age six by his father, who opened a clothing store in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Harris attended school for just three months while his family lived in Cleveland; then he worked in cigar manufacturing when the family settled in St. Louis, Missouri. He began his theatre career as a minstrel and

blackface Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person. In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of racial stereo ...

comedian in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

, with John Bowman (1866–1873),John Bowman (b. 1842). and with William Carroll (1873–1879). Around 1880, Harris leased the

Howard Athenaeum The Howard Athenæum (1845–1953), also known as Old Howard Theatre, in Boston, Massachusetts, was one of the most famous theaters in Boston history. Founded in 1845, it remained an institution of culture and learning for most of its years, final ...

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 ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. His success in running the theatre led to a partnership two years later with one of its owners, Isaac B. Rich. Harris later produced plays with

Klaw and Erlanger Klaw and Erlanger was an entertainment management and production partnership of Marc Klaw and Abraham Lincoln Erlanger based in New York City from 1888 through 1919. While running their own considerable and multi-faceted theatrical businesses ...

and

Charles Frohman Charles Frohman (July 15, 1856 – May 7, 1915) was an American theater manager and producer, who discovered and promoted many stars of the American stage. Notably, he produced ''Peter Pan'', both in London and the US, the latter production ...

, often as a silent partner, and made stars of Andrew Mack,

Elsie Ferguson Elsie Louise Ferguson (August 19, 1883 – November 15, 1961) was an American stage and film actress. Early life Born in New York City, Elsie Ferguson was the only child of Hiram and Amelia Ferguson. Her father was a successful attorney. Raise ...

Rose Stahl Rosalie Stahl (October 29, 1868 – 1955) was a Canadian-born American stage actress. Early life Her father was Col. Ernest Karl Stahl, a Prussian-born newspaperman who was drama and music critic for the '' Chicago InterOcean'' and her mother, C ...

Louis Mann Louis Mann (20 April 1865 – 15 February 1931) was an American theatre actor and sometime director, who in his later life made a few appearances in motion pictures. He was married to actress and playwright Clara Lipman. History Mann was bor ...

and

Clara Lipman Clara Lipman (December 6, 1864 – June 22, 1952) was an American musical comedy actress and playwright whose career began in 1885 and continued on until her retirement in 1927. She was the wife of comedian Louis Mann and the sister of popular ...

. Harris was called the Peter Pan of the theatre business, for his good humor and gift as a storyteller. In April 1913 it was reported that Harris had married young stage actress Florence Quayle. Harris contradicted rumors that they had wed a month before, stating that they had been married for three years. By this time, Harris was considered the dean of American theatrical managers, and one of the most popular people in the profession. Although he had been working toward retirement, he resumed the leadership of his business in 1912 after his elder son, Henry B. Harris, died in the sinking of the . At the time of his death in 1916, Harris either owned outright or held a significant interest in some 50 playhouses in the United States. These included the

Hudson Theatre The Hudson Theatre is a Broadway theater at 139–141 West 44th Street, between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. One of the oldest surviving Broadway venues, the Hudson was built ...

Fulton Theatre The Fulton Theatre was a Broadway theatre located at 210 West 46th Street in Manhattan, New York City, that was opened in 1911. It was renamed the Helen Hayes Theatre in 1955. The theatre was demolished in 1982. Since the former Little Theatre be ...

, Knickerbocker Theatre, Lyceum Theatre,

Liberty Theatre The Liberty Theatre is a former Broadway theater at 234 West 42nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1904, the theater was designed by Herts & Tallant and built for Klaw and Erlanger, the partnership ...

, Empire Theatre and New York Theatre in New York City;

The Boston Theatre :''See Federal Street Theatre for an earlier theatre known also as the Boston Theatre'' The Boston Theatre was a theatre in Boston, Massachusetts. It was first built in 1854 and operated as a theatre until 1925. Productions included performances by ...

Hollis Street Theatre The Hollis Street Theatre (1885–1935) was a theatre in Boston, Massachusetts, that presented dramatic plays, opera, musical concerts, and other entertainments. Brief history Boston architect John R. Hall designed the 1,600-seat theatre in 1885 ...

, Colonial Theatre and Tremont Theatre in Boston; and the Colonial Theatre, Illinois Theatre,

Blackstone Theatre The Merle Reskin Theatre is a performing arts venue located in the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois. Originally named the Blackstone Theatre it was built in 1910. Renamed the Merle Reskin Theatre in 1992, it is now part of DePaul Unive ...

and Powers Theatre in Chicago."William Harris, Sr., Theatre Man, Dead"
''The Sun,'' November 26, 1916 p. 8 via

Newspapers.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. In November 2018, ...

Harris died unexpectedly from a heart ailment on November 25, 1916, at his home in Bayside, Long Island, at age 71. The first play he produced jointly with his surviving son, William Harris Jr., had opened on Broadway five days before. In his will, Harris gave keepsakes to friends—including a watch and fob to

Abraham Erlanger Abraham Lincoln Erlanger (May 4, 1859 – March 7, 1930) was an American theatrical producer, director, designer, theater owner, and a leading figure of the Theatrical Syndicate. Biography Erlanger was born to a Jewish family

, a set of pearl studs to

, and a set of pearl sleeve buttons to

Marc Klaw Marc Klaw, (born Marcus Alonzo Klaw, May 29, 1858 – June 14, 1936) was an American lawyer, theatrical producer, theater owner, and a leading figure of the Theatrical Syndicate. Life and work Referred to as both Mark and Marc, he was born in ...

. He bequeathed his sizable estate to his son, his two daughters, and a granddaughter.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, William 1844 births 1916 deaths Businesspeople from St. Louis 19th century in Boston American theatre managers and producers 19th-century American businesspeople