William Warren (born

Bath, Somerset Bath () is a city in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 101,557. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, ...

, 10 May 1767; died

Baltimore, MD Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, 19 October 1832, was an

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 ...

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...

, and theater manager. His first appearance was as Young Norval in Home's tragedy of ''

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...

''. He also performed in Yorkshire. As Trueman in ''George Barnwell'', as Hastings in ''She Stoops to conquer'', as a pilgrim in ''King Richard'', Mirvan in ''Orphan of China'' and First Scholar in ''The Padlock'' at Leeds theatre. Soon afterward, Warren came to the United States, making his debut at

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, as Friar Lawrence in ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

''. In 1805 he went to England, as agent for the Philadelphia Theatre, to recruit a company of comedians. After his return in 1806 Warren took the twice widowed actress, Ann Merry in April 1807 as his second wife. Their only child together died at birth, and Merry died in 1808. Warren married Esther Fortune in 1809, with whom he had six children. Later, Warren became

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

of the

Chestnut Street Theatre The Chestnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was the first theater in the United States built by entrepreneurs solely as a venue for paying audiences.The Chestnut Street Theatre Project The New Theatre (First Chestnut Street Theatre) ...

in Philadelphia. There he made his last appearance on 25 November 1829 as Robert Bramble in ''

The Poor Gentleman ''The Poor Gentleman'' is an 1801 comedy play by the British writer George Colman the Younger. It premiered at London's Theatre Royal, Covent Garden on 11 February 1801.Nicoll p.282 The original cast included Charles Murray as Lieutenant Worthingt ...

''. All of Warren's children either entered or married into theatrical professions. His eldest son, William Warren (1812–1888), was an actor, and youngest son, Henry, a theatre manager. Hester (1810–1842) was an actress and married actor

Joseph Proctor Joseph Proctor (May 7, 1816 – October 2, 1897) was a popular 19th-century American actor. He was best known for playing the lead role in the melodrama '' Nick of the Woods''.(3 October 1897)Joseph Proctor (obituary) ''The New York Times''. ...

, while Anna (1815–1872) married comedian

Dan Marble Danforth Marble (April 27, 1810 – May 13, 1849) was an American comedic actor who gained great popularity playing "Yankee" roles in the 1830s and 1840s. Marble was born in East Windsor, Connecticut and made his stage debut in 1831 at Chatham G ...

.A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers & Other Stage Personnel in London, 1660-1800: W. West to Zwingman...
p. 76 (1993)

Notes

References

External Links

Theater Arts Manuscripts:
An Inventory of the Collection at the

Harry Ransom Center The Harry Ransom Center (until 1983 the Humanities Research Center) is an archive, library and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe for the pur ...

1767 births 1832 deaths English male stage actors British expatriate male actors in the United States 19th-century English male actors {{UK-stage-actor-stub