William Oxberry facts for kids
William Oxberry (born 1784, died 1824) was an English actor. He was also a writer who focused on theatre. Besides acting and writing, he worked as a printer and publisher.
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William Oxberry: Actor and Writer
William Oxberry was a talented person who loved the theatre. He spent his life acting, writing about plays, and even printing books. He became well-known in London for his acting.
Early Life and First Steps
William Oxberry was born in London on December 18, 1784. His father was an auctioneer. When William was 14, he briefly studied with a famous painter named George Stubbs.
Later, he worked in a bookshop. He also worked for a printer who enjoyed acting as a hobby. This is where William first started acting himself. He performed in small plays in places like stables and local theatres. He played parts like Hassan in The Castle Spectre.
In 1802, William became a full-time actor. He joined a theatre group led by Samuel Jerrold in Watford. After that, he became a "low comedian" (a type of comic actor) in Trotter's company. They performed in towns like Worthing and Hythe.
Becoming a London Actor
In 1807, a famous actor named Henry Siddons suggested William to the managers of the Covent Garden Theatre in London. William made his first big appearance there on November 7, 1807. He played Robin Roughhead in a play called Fortune's Frolic. However, critics did not praise his performance much.
After this, he left London and went to Glasgow. There, he had great success as Sir David Daw in Wheel of Fortune. He even tried some serious, dramatic roles in Aberdeen.
William soon returned to London. He got a job at the Lyceum Theatre, also known as the English Opera House. He did very well in a play called 'The Russian Impostor'. He then joined the famous Drury Lane Theatre. He stayed there until 1820. During this time, he created many new characters in plays and musicals.
As a comic actor, William Oxberry was often compared to another great actor, John Emery. People said his roles as Slender and Sir David Daw were amazing. Later, when his salary was cut, he left Drury Lane. He then performed at smaller theatres like the Surrey and Sadler's Wells.
Later Career and Contributions
For a while, William Oxberry managed the Olympic Theatre. But this project did not work out well. In December 1821, he took over a popular restaurant and meeting place called the Craven's Head chophouse. Many writers and theatre people visited this place.
William Oxberry passed away on June 9, 1824, at the chophouse. He was buried in a church vault in London.
What Did Oxberry Write?
William Oxberry was also a busy writer. He wrote several books, mostly about theatre and interesting stories. Some of his works include:
- The Theatrical Banquet, or the Actor's Budget (1809)
- The Encyclopædia of Anecdote (1812)
- The History of Pugilism (1814), which was about boxing.
- The Flowers of Literature (1824)
- Oxberry's Anecdotes of the Stage (1827)
He also edited a large collection of plays called The New English Drama. This collection had 113 plays in 22 volumes. He wrote a play called The Actress of All Work. In this play, one actress played many different characters. He also adapted other plays for the stage. For a short time, he edited a magazine called The Monthly Mirror.
A painting of William Oxberry shows him as a character named Petro. There are also pictures of him in theatre magazines. After he died, his wife finished a book he started called Oxberry's Dramatic Biography. This book shared stories about actors and was published in parts.
His Family Life
In 1806, William Oxberry married Catherine Elizabeth Hewitt. She was a young actress who performed in the same theatre company as him. Their son, William Henry Oxberry, also became an actor.
