Tate Wilkinson by Stephen Hewson YORAG 475

Tate Wilkinson (27 October 173916 November 1803) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

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 (), li ...

and manager.

Life

He was the son of a clergyman and was sent to Harrow. His first attempts at acting were badly received, and it was to his wonderful gift of mimicry that he owed his success. His imitations, however, naturally gave offence to the important actors and managers whose peculiarities he hit off to the life.

Garrick Garrick may refer to: * Garrick (name), for the name's origin and people with either the surname or given name, the most famous being: ** David Garrick (1717–1779), English actor * Garrick Club, a London gentlemen's club named in honour of David ...

Peg Woffington Margaret Woffington (18 October 1720 – 28 March 1760), known professionally as Peg Woffington, was an Irish actress and socialite of the Georgian era. Peg and Peggy were a common pet name for those called Margaret until the late 20th centu ...

, Samuel Foote and Sheridan, after being delighted with the imitations of the others, were among the most angry when it came to their turn, and threatened never to forgive him. Garrick never did. As an actor, Wilkinson was most successful in Foote's plays, but his list of parts was a long one. In

Shakespearian William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

characters he was very popular in the provinces. In 1766 he became a partner of Joseph Baker in the management of several Yorkshire theatres, and married about 1768. He became sole manager after his partner's death in 1770 of a number of theatres on what was then called the Yorkshire Circuit, and he was both liberal and successful. The Theatre, Leeds, built to his order in 1771, was part of the circuit.Leodis, Discovering Leeds: The Theatre
Retrieved 17 December 2013 In 1769 he took over

York Theatre Royal York Theatre Royal is a theatre in St Leonard's Place, in York, England, which dates back to 1744. The theatre currently seats 750 people. Whilst the theatre is traditionally a proscenium theatre, it was reconfigured for a season in 2011 to offe ...

, where he also had living quarters. An engraving of him in the role of Mr Popeseye was made; copies can be found in the Murray collection within the York City Archive held at the central York Library. Wilkinson directed with excellent judgment and prosperity for over 30 years. His oddities were notorious, but he was a generous manager. See his ''Memoirs'' (4 vols, 1790) and ''The Wandering Patentee'' (4 vols, 1795).

Company

Among Wilkinson's actors were * Miss Farren * Bridge Frodsham * Julia Glover *

Dorothea Jordan Dorothea Jordan, née Bland (21 November 17615 July 1816), was an Anglo-Irish actress, as well as a courtesan. She was the long-time mistress of Prince William, Duke of Clarence, later William IV, and the mother of ten illegitimate children by ...

(later mistress of

William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded h ...

) from 1782 to 1785. * Elizabeth Satchell * Mrs. Siddons and the other Kembles * Dicky Suett

Notes

References

* * * * Wm. Archer, ''Actors and Actresses of Great Britain and the United States'', edited by Matthews and Hutton (New York, 1886) * H. B. Baker, ''Our Old Actors'' (London, 1881) {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkinson, Tate English male stage actors English theatre managers and producers Actor-managers 1739 births 1803 deaths