Lester Wallack
Lester Wallack | |
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New York, New York | |
| Died | September 6, 1888 (aged 68) |
| Occupation | Actor |
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John Johnstone Wallack (January 1, 1820, New York City – September 6, 1888, Stamford, Connecticut), was an American actor-manager and son of James William Wallack and Susan Johnstone.[1] He used the stage name John Lester until October 5, 1858, when he first acted under the name Lester Wallack, which he retained the rest of his career.[2]
Biography
He was born in New York but at an early age he was taken to his parents' home in London where he was reared and educated.
He made his American debut there in 1847, under the name of John Lester, appearing as Sir Charles Coldstream in Boucicault's adaptation of Used Up.[3] His father's brother, Henry Wallack, the father of James William Wallack Jr. (1818–1873),[5] was also in the Broadway Theatre's company. His second appearance was as Viscount de Ligny in Captain of the Guard by James Planché.[3][1]
Subsequently, he performed at the
He was manager of the second Wallack's Theatre from 1861 (demolished in 1901), and in 1882 he opened the third at 30th Street and
His greatest successes were as Charles Surface, as Benedick, and especially as Elliot Grey in his own play Rosedale, and similar light comedy and romantic parts, for which his fascinating manners and handsome person well fitted him. He married a sister (d. 1909) of Sir John Millais. He wrote his own Memories of Fifty Years.[3]
Notes
- ^ a b c d Matthews & Hutton 1900, pp. 283–300.
- ^ See:
- "Wallack's Theater". New-York Daily Tribune. June 14, 1858. p. 1, column 6, advertisement.
Benefit of Mr. Lester
- "Wallack's Theater". New-York Daily Tribune. September 27, 1858. p. 2, column 1, advertisement.
John Lester Wallack, Stage Manager
- "Wallack's Theater". New-York Daily Tribune. October 4, 1858. p. 2, column 1, advertisement (for tomorrow).
Stage Manager, Mr. Lester Wallack. The company will consist of…Mr. Lester Wallack.…
- "Wallack's Theater". New-York Daily Tribune. June 14, 1858. p. 1, column 6, advertisement.
- ^ a b c d e Chisholm 1911, p. 279.
- ^ Middleton, Louisa M., "Johnstone John Henry", Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, vol. 30, retrieved 2020-04-14
- ^ Strang, Lewis C. (1903). Players and Plays of the Last Quarter Century. Vol. I. Boston: L. C. Page & Company. p. 131.
- ^ "Governance of the Lambs ®". Archived from the original on 2015-01-31. Retrieved 2015-10-13.
References
- Matthews, Brander; Hutton, Laurence, eds. (1900). Actors and Actresses of Great Britain and the United States. Vol. 5: Edwin Booth and His Contemporaries (New Illustrated ed.). Boston: L.C. Page & Co. pp. 283–300.
Attribution:
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Wallack, James William". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 279.
Further reading
- Burnham, Charles (1915). "The Passing of Wallack's". The Theatre. 21 (168): 72.
New International Encyclopedia. Vol. 20 (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead.- Florence, W. J. (1888-10). “Lester Wallack”. The North American Review, Vol. 147 No. 383, pp. 453–459. Online at JSTOR.
- Moses, Montrose J. (1906). Famous Actor-Families in America. Thomas Y. Crowell & Company, New York, pp. 195–224. Online at Internet Archive.
- Wallack, Lester and Hutton, Laurence (1889). Memories of Fifty Years. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York
- Winter, William (1889). Brief Chronicles, Part I. Publications of the Dunlap Society, No. 7, New York, pp. 313–23
External links
- Works by or about Lester Wallack at Internet Archive
- Theater Arts Manuscripts: An Inventory of the Collection at the Harry Ransom Center
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