DeWolf Hopper
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William DeWolf Hopper (March 30, 1858September 23, 1935) was an American actor, singer, comedian, and theatrical producer. A star of
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 ...
and
musical theater Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...
, he became best known for performing the popular
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
poem "
Casey at the Bat Casey at the Bat is a poem written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer. Casey at the Bat may also refer to: * ''Casey at the Bat'' (1916 film), a film based on the poem * ''Casey at the Bat'' (1927 film), a film based on the poem * ''Casey at the Bat'', a ...
".


Life and career

Hopper was born William D'Wolf Hopper in New York City, the son of John Hopper (born 1815) and Rosalie D'Wolf (born 1827). His father was a wealthy
Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...
lawyer and his mother came from a noted Colonial family. His paternal grandfather
Isaac Hopper Isaac Tatem Hopper (December 3, 1771 – May 7, 1852) was an American abolitionist who was active in Philadelphia in the anti-slavery movement and protecting fugitive slaves and free blacks from slave kidnappers. He was also co-founder of Child ...
was a Philadelphia Quaker, and conductor of the Philadelphia station of the
Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. T ...
. Though his parents intended that he become a lawyer, Hopper did not enjoy that profession. Hopper was called Willie as a child, and then Will or Wolfie, but when he set out on an acting career he chose his more distinguished middle name as his stage name. It was modified to "DeWolf" because of the frequency that it was mispronounced "Dwolf". He made his stage debut in
New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...
, October 2, 1878. Originally, he wanted to be a serious actor, but at 6' 5" (196 cm) and 230 pounds, he was too large for most dramatic roles. He had a loud bass singing voice, however, and made his mark in musicals, beginning in Harrigan and Hart's company. He achieved the status of
leading man A leading actor, leading actress, or simply lead (), plays the role of the protagonist of a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person who typica ...
in ''The Black Hussar'' (1885) and appeared in the hit ''
Erminie ''Erminie'' is a comic opera in two acts composed by Edward Jakobowski with a libretto by Claxson Bellamy and Harry Paulton, based loosely on Charles Selby's 1834 English translation of the French melodrama, ''Robert Macaire''. The piece first ...
'' in 1887. Eventually, he starred in more than thirty
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
musicals, including ''Castles in the Air'' (1890), ''Wang'' (1891), ''Panjandrum'' (1893), and
John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era known primarily for American military marches. He is known as "The March King" or the "American March King", to dist ...
's ''
El Capitan El Capitan ( es, El Capitán; "the Captain" or "the Chief") is a vertical Rock formations in the United States, rock formation in Yosemite National Park, on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The El Capitan Granite, granit ...
'' (1896). The role that he remembered with greatest pleasure was Old Bill in ''
The Better 'Ole ''The Better 'Ole'', also called ''The Romance of Old Bill'', is an Edwardian musical comedy with a book by Bruce Bairnsfather and Arthur Elliot, music by Herman Darewski, and lyrics by Percival Knight and James Heard, based on the cartoon charac ...
'' (1919). Known for his comic talents, Hopper popularized many comic songs and appeared in a number of
Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...
comic "patter" roles from 1911 to 1915, including ''
The Mikado ''The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen Gilbert and Sullivan, operatic collaborations. It opened on 14 March 1885, in London, whe ...
'', ''
Patience (or forbearance) is the ability to endure difficult circumstances. Patience may involve perseverance in the face of delay; tolerance of provocation without responding in disrespect/anger; or forbearance when under strain, especially when faced ...
'', and ''
H.M.S. Pinafore ''H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, whic ...
''. A lifelong baseball enthusiast and
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
fan, he first performed Ernest Thayer's then-unknown poem "
Casey at the Bat Casey at the Bat is a poem written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer. Casey at the Bat may also refer to: * ''Casey at the Bat'' (1916 film), a film based on the poem * ''Casey at the Bat'' (1927 film), a film based on the poem * ''Casey at the Bat'', a ...
" to the Giants and
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
the day his friend,
Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...
pitcher
Tim Keefe Timothy John Keefe (January 1, 1857 – April 23, 1933), nicknamed "Smiling Tim" and "Sir Timothy", was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He stood tall and weighed . He was one of the most dominating pitchers of the 19th century and po ...
had his record 19-game winning streak stopped, August 14, 1888. Hopper helped make the comic poem famous and was often called upon to give his colorful, melodramatic recitation, which he did about 10,000 times in his booming voice, reciting it during performances and as part of curtain calls, and on
radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
. He released a recorded version on phonograph record in 1906, and recited the poem in a
short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
made in the
Phonofilm Phonofilm is an optical sound-on-film system developed by inventors Lee de Forest and Theodore Case in the early 1920s. Introduction In 1919 and 1920, Lee De Forest, inventor of the audion tube, filed his first patents on a sound-on-film process, ...
sound-on-film process in 1923. It was in ''The Black Hussar'' that Hopper first incorporated a baseball theme that drew notice in the sporting press. To accompany a song with a baseball stanza, "Mr. Hopper enacts the pitcher, Mr. igbyBell, with a bird cage on his head and boxing gloves on his hands, plays catcher, while Mme. athildeCottrelly handles a diminutive bat as striker and endeavors to make a 'home run.'" In 1889, Hopper became founding president of the Actors' Amateur Athletic Association of America. Back in 1886, besides organizing a regular ball team among actors, he played in a benefit game for a demented playwright. The following year, he helped organize an actor's benefit for a sick young actress. In the first inning, someone presented him with an eight-inch sunflower. Also in 1889, Bell, Hopper and fellow
McCaull Comic Opera Company The McCaull Comic Opera Company, also called the McCaull Opera Comique Company, was an American theatral production company founded by Colonel John A. McCaull in 1880. The company produced operetta, comic opera and musical theatre in New York Cit ...
actor Jefferson De Angelis were doing the following skit for their third encore in ''Boccaccio.'' Bell returns "with a bat in his hand, followed by DeWolf Hopper and De Angelis. The latter has a ball, and as Hopper takes the bat in hand and Bell acts as catcher the former goes through the customary contortion act in pitching, and as Hopper hits the ball he runs off the stage, as if running the bases, and presently returns chased by De Angelis, who passes the ball to Bell as catcher just as Hopper makes a big slide for home base. The slider tumbles Bell, and when he rises from the somersault all three yell out to the audience for judgment ruling and go off kicking like Anson and ew York captain BuckEwing. It is a rich gag and takes immediately", the ''Brooklyn Eagle'' said. That year, Bell called Hopper "the biggest baseball crank that ever lived. Physically, of course, he is a corker, but when I say big I mean big morally and intellectually. Why, he goes up to the baseball ologrounds at One Hundred and Fifty-fifth street after the matinees on Saturday, and he travels this six miles simply to see, perhaps, the two final innings, and any one can imagine the rapidity with which he must scrape off the makeup and get into his street clothes in order to secure even this much. But he says the Garrison finishes are worth it, and he is perfectly right. Hopper always was a baseball crank, long before the public knew anything about it." Bald from childhood (he had
alopecia Hair loss, also known as alopecia or baldness, refers to a loss of hair from part of the head or body. Typically at least the head is involved. The severity of hair loss can vary from a small area to the entire body. Inflammation or scarri ...
), Hopper wore wigs both on and offstage. In later years, a reaction to harsh medicines that he took for throat problems gave his skin a bluish tinge. Regardless, his powerful voice and great sense of humor seemed an attraction to women all his life. With an insatiable appetite for young actresses, he left a long trail of six wives and countless mistresses in his wake, he became known by the
nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...
"The Husband of His Country." Hopper also appeared in several silent
motion pictures A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
, two examples being ''
Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of Wester ...
'' (1915) and ''Casey at the Bat'' (1916). Hopper also appeared in a few short
sound film A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...
s, including one in 1923 when he actually recites ''Casey at the Bat'' in an experimental sound film produced by
Lee De Forest Lee de Forest (August 26, 1873 – June 30, 1961) was an American inventor and a fundamentally important early pioneer in electronics. He invented the first electronic device for controlling current flow; the three-element "Audion" triode va ...
's
Phonofilm Phonofilm is an optical sound-on-film system developed by inventors Lee de Forest and Theodore Case in the early 1920s. Introduction In 1919 and 1920, Lee De Forest, inventor of the audion tube, filed his first patents on a sound-on-film process, ...
process.Hopper was a part of the
Triangle Film Corporation Triangle Film Corporation (also known as Triangle Motion Picture Company) was a major American motion-picture studio, founded in July 1915 in Culver City, California and terminated 7 years later in 1922. History The studio was founded in July 1 ...
, which he described as “the first great flourish” of a “prattling, infant industry”.New York Times, September 24, 1935 He made a Broadway appearance in ''White Lilacs'' (1928). He then did ''Radio City Music Hall Inaugural'' (1932), and played Dr. Gustave Ziska in ''The Monster'' (1933). At the time of his death, he was in
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, making a radio appearance. His funeral was at the Little Church Around the Corner, in New York City His autobiography, ''Once a Clown, Always a Clown'', written with the assistance of Wesley W. Stout, was published in 1927.


Marriages

All of Hopper's marriages ended in divorce. * At age 21, Hopper was married to his first wife, actress Helen Gardiner, his second cousin. * His second wife was Ida Mosher. They had one son in 1886, John Allan Hopper, and divorced in 1893. * 1893–1898: His third wife was Edna Wallace. * 1899–1913: His fourth wife was choir singer Nella ( Reardon) Bergen, whom he married in London. She was divorced from actor James Bergen. * 1913–1922: His fifth wife was actress and gossip columnist
Hedda Hopper Hedda Hopper (born Elda Furry; May 2, 1885February 1, 1966) was an American gossip columnist and actress. At the height of her influence in the 1940s, her readership was 35 million. A strong supporter of the House Un-American Activities Committ ...
; they had one son, actor
William Hopper William DeWolf Hopper Jr. (January 26, 1915 – March 6, 1970) was an American stage, film, and television actor. The only child of actor DeWolf Hopper and actress and Hollywood columnist Hedda Hopper, he appeared in predominantly minor ro ...
. * 1925–1935: His sixth wife was vocal instructor Lillian E. "Lulu" Glaser ( Faulkes), a widow.


Theatre credits


DeWolf Hopper Opera Company productions

;''The Charlatan'' riginal, Musical, Comedy, Opera:Dec 5, 1889 – Jun 17, 1899 ;''Mr. Pickwick'' riginal, Musical:Jan 19, 1903 – May 1903


Stage roles

;''Lorraine'' riginal, Musical, Comedy, Opera:Feb 28, 1887 – Mar 12, 1887, Gaspard de Chateauvieux ;''The Begum'' riginal, Musical, Comedy, Opera:Sep 21, 1887 – Dec 10, 1887, Howja-Dhu ;''Casey at the Bat'' riginal, Special, Poem, Solo:Aug 14, 1888 – Aug 14, 1888, Himself ;''The Charlatan'' riginal, Musical, Comedy, Opera:Dec 5, 1889 – Jun 17, 1899, Demidoff ;''Wang'' riginal, Musical, Comedy, Operetta:May 4, 1891 – Oct 3, 1891, Wang ;''Fiddle-dee-dee'' riginal, Musical, Burlesque, Extravaganza:Sep 6, 1900 – Apr 20, 1901 ::''Fiddle-dee-dee'', Hoffman Barr ::''Quo Vass Iss?'', Petrolius ::''Arizona'', Henry Cannedbeef ::''Exhibit II'', The Gay Lord Quex ;''Hoity Toity'' riginal, Musical, Burlesque:Sep 5, 1901 – Apr 19, 1902 ::''Hoity Toity'', General Steele ::''Depleurisy'', Countess Zicka ::''A Man From Mars'', An A.D.T. Man from Mars ::''The Curl and the Judge'', Judge Charges ::''DuHurry'' ;''Mr. Pickwick'' riginal, Musical:Jan 19, 1903 – May 1903, Pickwick ;''Wang'' evival, Musical, Comedy, Operetta:Apr 18, 1904 – Jun 4, 1904, Wang ;''Happyland'' riginal, Musical, Comedy, Opera:Oct 2, 1905 – Jun 2, 1906, Ecstaticus ;''The Pied Piper'' riginal, Musical, Comedy:Dec 3, 1908 – Jan 16, 1909, The Pied Piper ;''A Matinee Idol '' riginal, Musical, Comedy:Apr 28, 1910 – May 1911, Medford Griffin ;''H.M.S. Pinafore'' evival, Musical, Operetta:May 29, 1911 – Jul 8, 1911, Performer ;''Patience '' evival, Musical, Operetta:May 6, 1912 – Jun 1, 1912, Reginald Bunthorne ;''The Pirates of Penzance'' evival, Musical, Operetta:Jun 3, 1912 – Jun 26, 1912, Edward ;''H.M.S. Pinafore'' evival, Musical, Operetta:Jun 27, 1912 – Jun 28, 1912, Dick Deadeye ;''The Mikado'' evival, Musical, Operetta:Jun 29, 1912 – Jun 29, 1912, Ko-Ko ;''The Beggar Student '' evival, Musical, Comedy, Opera:Mar 22, 1913, General Ollendorf ;''The Mikado'' evival, Musical, Operetta:Apr 21, 1913 – May 3, 1913, Ko-Ko ;''H.M.S. Pinafore'' evival, Musical, Operetta:May 5, 1913 – May 10, 1913, Dick Deadeye ;''Iolanthe'' evival, Musical, Comedy, Operetta:May 12, 1913 – Jun 14, 1913, The Lord Chancellor ;''Lieber Augustin'' riginal, Musical, Operetta:Sep 3, 1913 – Oct 4, 1913, Bogumil ;''Hop o' My Thumb'' riginal, Play, Pantomime:Nov 26, 1913 – Jan 3, 1914, King Mnemonica ;''H.M.S. Pinafore'' evival, Musical, Operetta:Apr 19, 1915 – Jun 19, 1915, Dick Deadeye ;''Trial by Jury'' evival, Musical, Operetta:Apr 19, 1915 – Jun 19, 1915, The Learned Judge ;''The Yeomen of the Guard '' evival, Musical, Operetta:Apr 19, 1915 – May 8, 1915, Jack Point ;''The Mikado'' evival, Musical, Operetta:May 10, 1915 – Jun 19, 1915, Ko-Ko ;''The Sorcerer'' evival, Musical, Comedy, Operetta:May 24, 1915 – Jun 5, 1915, John Wellington Wells ;''The Pirates of Penzance'' evival, Musical, Operetta:Jun 7, 1915 – Jun 18, 1915, Major General Stanley ;''Iolanthe'' evival, Musical, Comedy, Operetta:Jun 10, 1915 – Jun 17, 1915, The Lord Chancellor ;''The Passing Show of 1917 '' riginal, Musical, Revue:Apr 26, 1917 – Oct 13, 1917, Performer ;''Everything'' riginal, Musical, Revue, Spectacle:Aug 22, 1918 – May 17, 1919, Performer ;''Erminie'' evival, Musical, Comedy, Opera:Jan 3, 1921 – Feb 26, 1921, Ravennes ;''Snapshots of 1921'' riginal, Musical, Revue:Jun 2, 1921 – Aug 6, 1921, Performer ;''Some Party '' riginal, Musical, Revue:Apr 15, 1922 – Apr 29, 1922, Producer and Performer ;''White Lilacs'' riginal, Musical, Operetta, Romance:Sep 10, 1928 – Jan 12, 1929, Dubusson ;''Radio City Music Hall Inaugural Program'' riginal, Special:Dec 27, 1932 – Dec 27, 1932, Himself ;''The Monster'' evival, Play, Drama:Feb 10, 1933 – Mar 1933, Dr. Gustave Ziska


Filmography

*''Don Quixote'' (1915), Alonso Quijano / Don Quixote *''Rough Knight'' (1916) *''Mr. Goode, the Samaritan'' (1916), Alphonse Irving Goode *''
Sunshine Dad ''Sunshine Dad'' is a 1916 American silent comedy film produced by Fine Arts Film Company and distributed by Triangle Film Corporation. It was directed by Edward Dillon, written by Tod Browning and 'Chet' Withey and starred stage comedian DeWolf ...
'' (1916), Alonzo Evergreen (extant; Library of Congress) *''
Casey at the Bat Casey at the Bat is a poem written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer. Casey at the Bat may also refer to: * ''Casey at the Bat'' (1916 film), a film based on the poem * ''Casey at the Bat'' (1927 film), a film based on the poem * ''Casey at the Bat'', a ...
'' (1916), Casey *'' Stranded'' (1916), H. Ulysses Watts *'' Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages'' (1916), extra (extant) *''
Puppets A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods or strings to mov ...
'' (1916), Pantaloon *''Casey at the Bat'' (1922), Himself, reading the poem in experimental film made in
Phonofilm Phonofilm is an optical sound-on-film system developed by inventors Lee de Forest and Theodore Case in the early 1920s. Introduction In 1919 and 1920, Lee De Forest, inventor of the audion tube, filed his first patents on a sound-on-film process, ...
sound-on-film Sound-on-film is a class of sound film processes where the sound accompanying a picture is recorded on photographic film, usually, but not always, the same strip of film carrying the picture. Sound-on-film processes can either record an analog ...
process; premiered April 15, 1923 at the Rivoli Theater in NYC *''At the Round Table'' (1930) (extant; Library of Congress) *''
The March of Time ''The March of Time'' is an American newsreel series sponsored by Time Inc. and shown in movie theaters from 1935 to 1951. It was based on a radio news series broadcast from 1931 to 1945. The "voice" of both series was Westbrook Van Voorhis. Pr ...
'' (1930), Himself, Old Timer Sequence in unfinished MGM movie *''Ladies Not Allowed ''(1932)


Notes


External links

* *
Info on Hopper from the comprehensive musicals 101 site



Links to a recording by Hopper of "Casey at the Bat"


* * ttps://digitalcollections.nypl.org/search/index?utf8=%E2%9C%93&keywords=de+wolf+hopper De Wolf Hopperportrait gallery at New York Public Library(Billy Rose Collection)
Collected Works of DeWolf Hopper at archive.org
*'' Once a Clown, Always a Clown: Reminiscences of DeWolf Hopper'' (1927) at the
Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

The Bright Stars of Yesterday
biographical rundown of De Wolfe Hopper's life
Grave site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hopper, Dewolf 1858 births 1935 deaths 19th-century American male actors 20th-century American male actors Male actors from New York City American male film actors American radio personalities American male silent film actors Vaudeville performers American male stage actors Casey at the Bat Members of The Lambs Club The Lambs presidents