William O'Brien (c.1740-1815) was an Irish actor and playwright.

Career

William O'Brien was probably born in

County Clare County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...

in about 1740 to a family which claimed a distant connection to the Viscounts Clare. His father was a fencing master in Dublin

David Garrick David Garrick (19 February 1717 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil and friend of Sa ...

brought O'Brien over to London from Dublin in 1758 to join his actor's company 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 ...

. O'Brien was successful in a number of roles, particularly Shakespeare and contemporary comedies. He eloped with Lady Susannah "Susan" Fox-Strangways, eldest daughter of

Stephen Fox Sir Stephen Fox (27 March 1627 – 28 October 1716) of Farley in Wiltshire, of Redlynch Park in Somerset, of Chiswick, Middlesex and of Whitehall, was a royal administrator and courtier to King Charles II, and a politician, who rose from ...

, the first

Earl of Ilchester Earl of Ilchester is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1756 for Stephen Fox, 1st Baron Ilchester, who had previously represented Shaftesbury in Parliament. He had already been created Baron Ilchester, of Ilchester in t ...

, whom he had met when they both performed in amateur theatricals at

Holland House Holland House, originally known as Cope Castle, was an early Jacobean country house in Kensington, London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

. Their marriage, which took place on 7 April 1764 at St. Paul's Church, Covent Gardens, was disapproved of by Lady Susan's family. Following the marriage, O'Brien retired from the stage. The couple were forced for a time to travel to North America, because of the social scandal caused by their elopement. They set sail for New York in September 1764. Although neither husband nor wife were happy there, they travelled widely, sailing up the Hudson, travelling west to Niagara Falls, and then north to Quebec where O'Brien briefly served as a barrack master. In 1768, he was gazetted Secretary and Provost-Master-General of the Bermudas. On their return to England in 1770, the O'Briens lived for a time in London where O'Brien entered a brief but unsuccessful career as a playwright. He was the author of two plays, ''Cross-Purposes'' (1772) and ''The Duel'' (1773). The diarist

James Boswell James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck (; 29 October 1740 (New Style, N.S.) – 19 May 1795), was a Scottish biographer, diarist, and lawyer, born in Edinburgh. He is best known for his biography of his friend and older contemporary the Englis ...

described O'Brien as "a lively little fellow, but priggish" and "quite the fine man about town". Lady Susan Fox-Strangways

The O'Briens later moved to live at a Strangways family property, Stinsford House, in

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

. The couple had no children. O'Brien served as Receiver-General of Dorset until shortly before his death in 1815. O'Brien and Lady Susan were buried together at the church of St Michael's at

Stinsford Stinsford is a village and civil parish in southwest Dorset, England, about east of Dorchester. The parish includes the settlements of Higher and Lower Bockhampton. The name Stinsford may derive from , Old English for a limited area of pasture. ...

In popular culture

Nicholas Irons portrayed O'Brien in the 1999 TV miniseries ''

Aristocrats Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word' ...

''.

Bibliography

*
Cross purposes: a farce of two acts, as it is performed at the Theatre-Royal in Covent-Garden
' (1772). *
The Duel
' (1773).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OBrien, William 1740 births 18th-century Irish male actors Irish male stage actors 1815 deaths Irish emigrants to Great Britain