Nannette Johnston (born 1782) was a British stage actress and dancer active during the Regency era. She was born in London as the daughter the actor William Parker, but educated in Edinburgh where her father was working and began her career as a dancer. In 1796 she married the actor Henry Erskine Johnston, with whom she had six children, and the then went to Dublin for a season before heading to London where she acted at Covent Garden and the Haymarket. [1] They both moved to Drury Lane for two seasons, before returning to Covent Garden. [2]
During a spell in Dublin in 1811 she abandoned her husband, who had been employed by the Peter Street Theatre, and began living with Thomas Harris, the manager of Covent Garden. She in turn left Harris in 1814 for a banker Harry Drummond, after which Harris released her from Covent Garden. She seems to have effectively retired apart from a benefit for the actor William A. Conway in 1816. In 1820 she was granted a divorce from Johnston and was still alive in 1826, but little is known about her later life. [3]
John Fawcett was an English actor and playwright.
Joseph Shepherd Munden was an English actor.
Mary Ann Davenport [née Harvey] was a British Shakespearean actress.
Joseph George Holman (1764–1817) was an English actor, dramatist and actor-manager.
Harriet Siddons, sometimes known as Mrs Henry Siddons, was a Scottish actress and theatre manager.
Charles Murray (1754–1821) was a Scottish actor and dramatist.
William Thomas Lewis (c.1748–1811), known as "Gentleman" Lewis, due to his refined acting style, was an English actor. Raised in Ireland, he made his name on the Dublin stage before moving to the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London where he spent many years. He was said to be "the most complete fop on the stage". In later life he went into theatrical management.
John Henry Johnstone (1749–1828), also known as 'Jack' Johnstone or 'Irish' Johnstone, was an Irish actor, comedian and singer. He was a notable performer of Stage Irishman roles.
William Macready the Elder (1755–1829) was an Irish actor-manager.
Charlotte Tidswell was an English actress.
John Whitfield (1752–1814) was a British stage actor.
James Fearon (1746–1789) was a British stage actor.
William Barrymore (1759–1830) was a British stage actor. Originally from Taunton he was part of a company of strolling players in the West Country, and was acting at Plymouth in 1780. He first appeared at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in 1782, under the management of Richard Sheridan, and became a long-standing member of the company. He is also the namesake of the famed Barrymore family.
Montague Talbot (1774–1831) was an Irish stage actor and theatre manager.
John Waddy (1751–1814) was an Irish stage actor and theatre manager. Originally, intended for a career in law, he was acting at Dublin's Smock Alley Theatre by 1774, combining this with appearances at Irish and English provincial theatres. From 1782 to 1796, he was a regular at the Theatre Royal, Norwich. He was then engaged by the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London making his debut there on 5 October 1796, under the management of Thomas Harris. He acted there and at Haymarket over the next decade and a half. He particularly specialised in playing Stage Irishman and also took over many roles when John Quick left Covent Garden. His second wife, billed as Mrs. Waddy, acted with him in London for several years. He departed from the Covent Garden company in 1810, and worked for a while at the Surrey Theatre south of the River Thames. He died in Oakingham in Berkshire on 12 April 1814.
William Claremont was a British stage actor who spent many years in the companies of the leading London theatres at Covent Garden, Haymarket and Drury Lane. He was born William Cleaver in London as the son of a shop assistant and a deliveryman and was originally apprenticed to a linen merchant. His first known acting roles were in Margate in 1792 and from 1793 he was a regular at Covent Garden. During the summers he also appeared at Richmond and Birmingham. He continued at Covent Garden until 1805 when he switched to Drury Lane and remained there until 1822.
Edward Evans Townsend (1766–1809) was a Welsh stage actor and singer. After making his reputation as a touring actor in Yorkshire, notably at Hull under the management of Tate Wilkinson, he was at the Theatre Royal, Norwich in the early 1790s. He also appeared in Ireland at the Crow Street Theatre and the Theatre Royal, Cork.
Charlotte Jane Chapman (1762–1805) was an American-born British stage actress. Her father was ruined was during the American War of Independence and sent his daughter to live with relatives in England. Her early roles on stage came in York, where she married an actor named Morton and briefly acted under that name before separating from him and returning to her maid name. She appeared at the Theatre Royal, Margate in the summer of 1788 and was then hired by the manager Thomas Harris to joined the company of the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London. She remained with the company until 1804, becoming a major member of troupe known generally for her roles in comedies. She interspersed this with summer appearances at other theates including in Margate, Ireland and the Haymarket. She was buried at St Paul's in Covent Garden, known for its association with actor. She was painted twice by the artist Samuel De Wilde.
William Davies (1751–1809) was an English stage actor and singer. Born in London, Davies began his career in the provinces including at Norwich before coming to Richmond Theatre in the summer of 1770. He made his London debut at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in September that year and joined the company which was under the management of David Garrick and later Richard Brinsley Sheridan. In 1780 he transferred to the company of the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden and remained there for the next fourteen years, interspersing it with summer appearances at the Haymarket where he continued to appear until 1799. He died in 1809 was buried at St Paul's Church in Covent Garden. His wife Elizabeth Davies also acted alongside him at Norwich and Drury Lane before her death in 1782.
James Middleton (c.1769–1799) was an Irish stage actor. He was born in Dublin as James Magan, the son of a surgeon. He was originally intended for a career in medicine, but chose to take up acting again. He made his debut at the Theatre Royal, Bath on 31 January 1888 in Othello, his voice being compared to Spranger Barry, and adopted his stage name soon afterwards. The same year he appeared at Covent Garden in London but his free-spending and unpredictable behaviour led to him being released at the end of the season. His wife also died around this time, but he rebuilt his career at Crow Street Theatre in his native Dublin and also appeared in Waterford, Cork and Belfast. In 1793 he was rehired by Covent Garden and established himself as a major figure in the company over the following three seasons. However his heavy drinking led to him again being dismissed in 1796, briefly returned to Dublin, and then was engaged at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. He died while intoxicated in 1799.