John Lawson (actor)
John Lawson | |
---|---|
Born | John Ennis Lawson 9 January 1865 Hollinwood, Lancashire, England |
Died | 25 November 1920 London, England | (aged 55)
Occupation(s) | Actor, writer, stage and film director, theatre owner |
Years active | c. 1896 – 1920 |
John Ennis Lawson (9 January 1865 – 25 November 1920), known as "Humanity" Lawson, was a British actor who wrote, performed and directed dramatic sketches in music halls and silent films.
Life and career
Born in
He wrote and performed the dramatic sketch "Humanity", which was immediately successful, and for the rest of his career he was known and billed as "Humanity" Lawson. In the piece, based on an actual event, Lawson plays the part of a Jew, Silvani, who has an unfaithful gentile wife. He fights his wife's lover in a spectacular scene in which everything on stage is smashed to pieces, and the stairway on which they are fighting eventually collapses, killing them both.[2] According to W. J. MacQueen-Pope: "It is human nature to enjoy seeing things smashed up, and Lawson satisfied the most demanding of smash fans... People went to see it in myriads for years; it made no difference that they knew every word, every bit of business. There was always that wholesale smash-up which was irresistible."[1] Performances concluded with a musical monologue, "Only a Jew", co-written by Lawson and Moses Besso, "dedicated to the Hebrew gentlemen of the world", with the refrain: "Only a Jew - the insult I'll remember / Only a Jew - then why not Christian too? / The same world lies before us, the same sun shining o'er us / And why should they insult a man - only a Jew!".[3]
Lawson performed in the United States and Australia, and also recorded part of the sketch, and song, in 1897.
John Lawson married actress Cissie Skinner in 1896. By 1912, he had become the managing director of the
He died in London in 1920, at the age of 55.[2]
References
- ^ a b c MacQueen-Pope, W. J. (1950). The Melodies Linger On: The Story of Music Hall. London: W. H. Allen. p. 354.
- ^ ISBN 0-236-40053-3.
- ^ Song cover, "Only a Jew", Sheet Music Warehouse. Retrieved 20 January 2023
- ^ a b c John Lawson, National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 20 January 2023
- ^ John Lawson, ArtistInfo. Retrieved 20 January 2023
- ^ "The Camberwell Palace of Varieties", ArthurLloyd.co.uk. Retrieved 20 January 2023
External links
- John Lawson at IMDb