Charles Doran facts for kids

Charles Doran playing Hamlet.

Charles Doran (born January 1, 1877 – died April 5, 1964) was a famous Irish actor. He was one of the last "actor-managers." This means he not only acted but also managed his own theater company. He was like a boss and a star all in one!

Many actors who later became famous, like Ralph Richardson, started their careers in Charles Doran's company. Doran performed in many plays, including those in London's West End. He started his own theater company in 1920. After leading it for eleven years, he moved to India to work there. When he came back to England, he continued acting on stage and even appeared on television sometimes.

Early Life and Start in Acting

Charles Doran was born in Cork, Ireland, on January 1, 1877. His father was Charles Jenkins Doran. Charles went to school in Cork and also had private lessons.

First Steps on Stage

In 1899, Charles Doran began his acting career. He joined Frank Benson's touring theater company. His very first performance was in the play Julius Caesar at the Theatre Royal in Belfast. He stayed with Benson's company for two and a half years. During this time, he made his first appearance in London. He played Captain MacMorris in the play Henry V at the Lyceum Theatre.

Touring and New Roles

In 1903, Doran traveled with a play based on Tolstoy's book Resurrection. He then worked with actors Fred Terry and Julia Neilson. In 1905, he appeared at the New Theatre as the Comte de Tournai in The Scarlet Pimpernel.

The next year, in 1906, he toured with H. B. Irving and performed in the United States for the first time. In 1907, he went on tour in South Africa with Cora Urquhart Brown-Potter's company. He then returned to Benson's company. In 1908, he toured with Mrs Patrick Campbell in two plays: The Thunderbolt and The Second Mrs Tanqueray.

Shakespearean Performances

From 1909 to 1910, Charles Doran toured England and Australia with Oscar Asche and Lily Brayton. Both of them had also been part of Benson's acting group. During this tour, Doran played many famous roles from Shakespeare's plays:

• The main character in The Merchant of Venice
• Lodovico in Othello
• Tranio in The Taming of the Shrew
• The Soothsayer in Julius Caesar

In October 1910, Doran came back to England. He played La Tribe in Count Hannibal at the New Theatre. After that, he was Pistol in The Merry Wives of Windsor at the Garrick. Oscar Asche played Falstaff in that production. For the next ten years, Doran acted in both new plays and classic ones. Some of his classic roles included:

• Constantine Levin in Anna Karenina (1913)
• Douglas in Henry IV, part 1 (1914)
• The Constable of France in Henry V (1914)

He also performed many Shakespearean roles at the Memorial Theatre in Stratford-on-Avon in 1919.

His Own Company and Later Career

In February 1920, Charles Doran started his very own Shakespearean acting company. He toured with them, playing many lead roles himself:

• Hamlet
• Shylock in The Merchant of Venice
• Brutus in Julius Caesar
• Malvolio in Twelfth Night
• Prospero in The Tempest
• Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew
• Macbeth
• Falstaff
• Henry V
• Jaques in As You Like It

Charles Doran was very good at spotting new talent. Many actors who became famous later on started their careers in his company. These included Cecil Parker, Ralph Richardson, Francis L. Sullivan, and Donald Wolfit.

Work in India and Return to England

In 1931, Doran traveled to India. He worked as a director for Shakespeare's plays at the State Theatre in Jhalawar. After that, he went to Bombay (now Mumbai). There, he mostly performed Shakespeare's plays on the radio.

He returned to England in 1937. His last performance in London was in the play Song of Norway in 1949. His final Shakespearean role on stage was Time in The Winter's Tale in 1951. He continued to act in other plays until 1954.

Television Appearances

Charles Doran also appeared on BBC television a few times:

• In 1950, he played a senator in Othello.
• In 1952, he was Adabashev, the tragedian, in Curtain Down.

Charles Doran passed away in Folkestone, England, on April 5, 1964, at the age of 87. An article about him from Emory University in 2003 described his career well. It said that his 57 years in theater made him a major force, especially in his Shakespeare productions. He had so much energy and passion that he kept the "actor-manager" system alive for a few more years, even after other big names had stopped their companies. Charles Doran was truly one of the last of his kind in the theater world.

Images for kids

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  Charles Doran as Hamlet.