Henry Harris (actor) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Henry Harris
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Harris as Cardinal Wolsey by John Greenhill, 1664.
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| Born | c.1634 |
| Died | 3 August 1704 |
| Occupation | Stage actor |
| Years active | 1661–1681 |
Henry Harris (born around 1634 – died 1704) was a famous English stage actor and theatre manager. He started his career as a painter. After the English Restoration in 1660, he helped start a new group called the Duke's Company.
This company first performed at the old Salisbury Court Theatre. Soon after, they moved to the new Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre. Because of his background, Henry Harris might have designed sets and painted for the company early on. By 1661, he was acting. His first known role was in The Siege of Rhodes that summer. He quickly became the second most important actor in the group, after Thomas Betterton.
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Henry Harris's Acting Career
In 1663, Henry Harris was briefly arrested. It seems he tried to join a different theatre group, which was against the rules back then. The problem was likely about his pay. He stayed with the Duke's Company. During these years, he also helped a young actor named Joseph Williams. Joseph Williams later had a long and successful acting career himself.
In 1664, Harris played Cardinal Wolsey in a play called Henry VIII. His performance was widely praised. He also became friends with Samuel Pepys around 1667–68. Pepys even wrote about Harris in his famous diary.
Managing the Duke's Company
When William Davenant, the leader of the Duke's Company, died in 1668, Henry Harris and Thomas Betterton took over. They became the new managers of the company. In 1671, they moved the company to the new Dorset Garden Theatre. Henry Harris even had an apartment in the same building.
In 1673, there was an accident on stage. Another actor, Philip Cademan, was seriously hurt during a sword fight. Henry Harris enjoyed a lively social life and spent a lot of money. He often mixed with important people, which led to him having many debts.
By the late 1670s, another actor named William Smith started taking over some of Harris's roles. In 1681, Henry Harris stepped back from acting. William Smith then became the new manager of the company. However, Harris continued to own shares in the Dorset Garden theatre. He earned less money from this because the theatre companies later joined together. The new group, called the United Company, mostly performed at Drury Lane.
Later Life and Legacy
In his later years, Henry Harris mostly lived on money from government jobs that required little work. He died on August 3, 1704. He was buried at St Paul's in Covent Garden. This church is well-known for its connections to actors.
Images for kids
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The Dorset Garden Theatre. Henry Harris was a major owner of this theatre, which hosted the Duke's Company from 1671.
