Ellis Worth (c. 1587 – 1659), or Woorth, was a noted English actor in the Jacobean and Caroline eras. He was a leading member of two important companies,

Queen Anne's Men Queen Anne's Men was a playing company, or troupe of actors, in Jacobean era London. In their own era they were known colloquially as the Queen's Men — as were Queen Elizabeth's Men and Queen Henrietta's Men, in theirs. Formation The group w ...

and

Prince Charles's Men Prince Charles's Men (known as the Duke of York's Men from 1608 to 1612) was a playing company or troupe of actors in Jacobean and Caroline England. The Jacobean era troupe The company was formed in 1608 as the Duke of York's Men, under the titu ...

Biography

Nothing is known of Worth's origins or early life, or the start of his career; he was with the Queen Anne's company by 1615, and continued with the troupe until it dissolved in 1623. The paucity of the extant historical record means that little is known of the roles he played; he was most likely the "Ellis" who played a Lord in

Robert Daborne Robert Daborne (c. 1580 – 23 March 1628) was an English dramatist of the Jacobean era. His father was also Robert Daborne, heir to family property in Guildford, Surrey and other places, including London, and a wealthy haberdasher by tra ...

's '' The Poor Man's Comfort'' around 1617. After 1623, Worth was a member of what is usually called the Company of the Revels at the

Red Bull Theatre The Red Bull was an inn-yard conversion erected in Clerkenwell, London operating in the 17th century. For more than four decades, it entertained audiences drawn primarily from the City and its suburbs, developing a reputation over the years for ...

, and sometimes simply the Red Bull company; little is known of their activities. When

Richard Gunnell Richard Gunnell (fl. 1613 – 1634) was an actor, playwright, and theatre manager in Jacobean and Caroline era London. He is best remembered for his role in the founding of the Salisbury Court Theatre. Actor and playwright Nothing is known of Gu ...

built his

Salisbury Court Theatre The Salisbury Court Theatre was a theatre (structure), theatre in 17th-century London. It was in the neighbourhood of Salisbury Court, which was formerly the London residence of the Bishop of Salisbury, Bishops of Salisbury. Salisbury Court was ...

in 1629, he needed a company to act there. He brought in the new or second version of Prince Charles's Men. Worth was an original member and a "sharer" (partner) in this organization from 1631 to at least 1638, and probably until the theatres were closed in 1642 at the start of the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

. He played Ardelio in the troupe's December 1631 production of Marmion's '' Holland's Leaguer''. Much of what is known of Worth's career comes from legal documents that pertain to the various controversies in which his companies were involved. The long legal battle between Susan Baskervile and Queen Anne's Men is one obvious example; that lawsuit is often known as the Worth/Baskervile suit, or Worth v. Baskervile, since Worth, due to his leading position in the troupe, was listed first among the roster of actors Baskervile sued. ee:_Susan_Baskervile..html" ;"title="Susan_Baskervile.html" ;"title="ee: Susan Baskervile">ee: Susan Baskervile.">Susan_Baskervile.html" ;"title="ee: Susan Baskervile">ee: Susan Baskervile.Worth also testified in the ''Keep the Widow Waking'' suit in 1624 (though he testified that he had nothing to do with the play). The second Prince Charles's company also had a tempestuous and litigious career, and Worth was deeply enmeshed in its controversies. Worth and

Andrew Cane Andrew Cane ( fl. 1602–1650) — also Kayne, Kene, Keine, and other variants — was a comic actor in late Jacobean and Caroline era London. In his own generation he was a leading comedian and dancer, and one of the famous and pop ...

, the troupe's leaders, were sued by fellow actor William Bankes in 1635. Bankes invested £100 to become an actor/sharer in the company, but was unhappy with the results. Even after the theatres were closed, the litigation continued; Worth gave a deposition in a Chancery suit in February 1654, in which, coincidentally, he identifies himself as "of the age of 67 or thereabouts." Worth's daughter Jane was christened in July 1613. The girl's mother died sometime before 1626, when Worth married the widow of Thomas Holcombe. Their son Elizeus was christened in March 1629. For a couple of centuries, nothing was known about Worth's later years; even the year of his death was mysterious. The discovery of his last will and testament provided some valuable data on his family and surviving descendants.S. P. Cerasano, "New Renaissance Players' Wills," ''Modern Philology'', Vol. 82 No. 3 (February 1985), pp. 299-304. Regrettably, the will contains no mention of actors; Worth's colleagues had largely passed from the scene by 1659.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Worth, Ellis 17th-century English male actors English male stage actors 1659 deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of birth unknown