Priscilla Kemble
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Priscilla Kemble (née Hopkins; 1756 – May 1845) was an English actress. The English actor John Philip Kemble was her third and last husband.[1]
Family
Kemble was born Priscilla Hopkins in 1756, the daughter of a prompter named William Hopkins, who was employed for many years at Drury Lane and his wife the actress Elizabeth Hopkins. Her mother (died September 1801) was a respected actress in David Garrick's company. An elder sister appeared as Miss Hopkins at Drury Lane on 14 November 1771 playing Cupid, a postilion, in A Trip to Scotland; on 19 April 1773 she made "her first appearance on any stage" as Celia in As You Like It; and acted with success for a few seasons, then married a wealthy man, and retired from the stage. She eventually returned to acting, as Mrs. Sharp, in 1779 and 1780.[2]
Early acting career
Priscilla Hopkins was first known for being a member of Garrick's company at Drury Lane, playing Mildred in Old City Manners, an adaptation of Eastward Hoe! on 9 November 1775. She had probably been previously seen as Fanny in the Clandestine Marriage on 20 November, and Maria in the Maid of the Oaks on the 28th. On 15 February 1776 she was the original Harriet in Hannah Cowley's The Runaway and on 7 March the original Eliza in Colman's Spleen, or Islington Spa. During the following season she played Sylvia in the Old Bachelor at Drury Lane. Kemble was the original Kitty Sprightly in Isaac Jackman's All the World's a Stage, and on 8 May 1777 the original Maria in the School for Scandal. Other parts followed: Bridget in Every Man in his Humour, Arabella in the Committee, Mademoiselle in the Provoked Wife, and Fanny in the Clandestine Marriage, played for the benefit of the Miss Hopkins's on 1 May 1778. Kemble was a very pretty, piquante was married to William Brereton (1751–1787), an actor of some position, who had played for some years at Drury Lane. Her marriage to Brereton was not a happy one due to a number of reasons.[3]
Later acting career
On 8 October 1778, as Louisa Dudley in the West Indian, she appeared for the first time at Drury Lane as Mrs. Brereton, late Miss P. Hopkins. Her married life was reputable, and she occupied in a satisfactory fashion a secondary part on the stage, playing Lady Constant in
Personal life
Despite being Kemble's wife, important parts including those in which she had won acceptance, were withheld from her. On 23 May 1796 accordingly, as Flavia in Kemble's Celadon and Florimel, or the Happy Counterplot, then first performed, she delivered an address, and retired from acting. She accompanied her husband in his travels after his retirement, and after his death retired to
References
- ^ "Priscilla Kemble". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
- ^ a b c Knight, 1892.
- ^ "Priscilla Kemble [née Hopkins]". Lord Byron and His Times, Center for Applied Technologies in the Humanities, Virginia Tech. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
Sources
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Knight, John Joseph (1892). "Kemble, Priscilla". In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 30. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
Further reading
- Priscilla Kemble; Brandon; John Somers; Cocks Somers; Edward Willes; Alexander Murray (1811). Autograph Letters Signed and Unsigned from Priscilla (Hopkins) Brereton Kemble to Various People. OCLC 281841156.
External links
Media related to Priscilla Kemble at Wikimedia Commons
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