Jane Rogers (actress, died 1718) facts for kids

Jane Rogers was a well-known English actress who lived a long time ago, in the late 1600s and early 1700s. To tell her apart from her daughter, who was also an actress, she was sometimes called 'Jane Rogers the Elder'.

Early Acting Career

Jane Rogers first stepped onto the stage in 1692. She performed at a famous theatre in London called the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Her very first play was The Volunteers.

A few years later, in 1695, a large group of actors known as the United Company decided to split up. Jane Rogers chose to stay at Drury Lane. She joined the company managed by Christopher Rich.

This decision helped her career a lot! Another leading actress, Anne Bracegirdle, left the company. This meant Jane Rogers had fewer people competing for the best parts. She quickly became one of the most important actresses in the company.

Family and Later Theatres

During the 1690s, Jane Rogers had a daughter, who was also named Jane Rogers. Her daughter's father was a fellow actor named Robert Wilks.

Her daughter later became an actress too. She performed with the Lincoln's Inn Fields company. There, she married an actor named Christopher Bullock. After marrying, her daughter was known by his last name.

The elder Jane Rogers continued acting at Drury Lane until 1706. Then, she moved to a new theatre called the Queen's Theatre in Haymarket. She later returned to Drury Lane and stayed there, except for one more season back at the Haymarket.

By 1714, she was having more disagreements with the theatre company. Some of her roles were even given to another actress, Anne Oldfield. After this, John Rich hired her to act at the revived Lincoln's Inn Fields theatre. Her daughter started acting there shortly after. Jane Rogers the Elder continued performing with this company until she passed away in November 1718.

Selected Roles

Jane Rogers played many different characters during her career. Here are some of the plays she performed in: