Christopher Bullock (actor) facts for kids

Christopher Bullock (1690–1722) was a talented British stage actor and a playwright (someone who writes plays). He was known for his performances on stage and for the plays he wrote during his lifetime.

Who Was Christopher Bullock?

Christopher Bullock was born in 1690. He was the son of another famous actor, William Bullock. To help people tell them apart, Christopher was often called Young Bullock when he was performing. He became a well-known figure in the world of British theatre.

Early Life and Stage Beginnings

Christopher Bullock likely started his acting career around 1707. His first known performance was in a play called The Recruiting Officer. This play was shown at the Queen's Theatre in Haymarket, London. Over the next 15 years, he acted in many different theatres. These included the famous Drury Lane and the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre.

He was especially good at playing characters known as "fops." A fop was a fashionable, sometimes silly, gentleman who cared a lot about his clothes and appearance. People thought Christopher might become as famous as Colley Cibber, another actor known for these types of roles.

A Manager and Playwright

In 1717, Christopher Bullock took on a new challenge. He became a manager of the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre. He managed it with another actor named Theophilus Keene. They took over from John Rich for a period of time.

That same year, Christopher married an actress named Jane Rogers. They had three children together. Besides acting, Christopher also wrote several plays between 1715 and 1718. Most of these were short, funny plays called farces. His first play was an afterpiece (a short play performed after a main play) called The Slip. He also wrote one serious play, a tragedy, titled The Traitor.

His Final Years

In 1720, Christopher Bullock decided to stop being a theatre manager. However, he continued to act at the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre. Sadly, his health began to decline. He suffered from a serious illness called consumption (now known as tuberculosis).

His very last performance was on January 9, 1722. He appeared in a play called The Soldier's Fortune by Thomas Otway. His wife and father were also in the cast with him. Christopher Bullock passed away a few months later, on April 5, 1722. He was buried in Hampstead.

Famous Roles He Played

Christopher Bullock played many different characters during his acting career. Here are some of the notable roles he performed:

• Appletree in The Recruiting Officer (1707)
• Whisper in The Busie Body (1709)
• Chevalier in The City Ramble (1711)
• Hazard in The Wife's Relief (1711)
• Sergeant Dolt in The Successful Pyrate (1712)
• Merit in The Wife of Bath (1713)
• Euribartes in The Victim (1714)
• Fondlewife in The Old Bachelor (1715)
• Sir Timothy Twiddle in The Doating Lovers (1715)
• Vizard in A Woman's Revenge (1715)
• Welby in The Northern Heiress (1716)
• Snuffle in The Cobbler of Preston (1716)
• Sir Amorous Vainwit in Woman Is a Riddle (1716)
• Le Bronze in The Coquet (1718)
• Colonel Fainwell in A Bold Stroke for a Wife (1718)
• Cosmo in The Traitor (1718)
• Bardach in Kensington Gardens (1719)
• Nuncio in Henry IV of France (1719)
• Gundamor in Sir Walter Raleigh (1719)
• Meagre in The Half-Pay Officers (1720)
• Ned Indolent in Whig and Tory (1720)
• Sir Davy in The Soldier's Fortune (1722)