Wilson Barrett facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wilson Barrett
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| Born |
William Henry Barrett
18 February 1846 |
| Died | 22 July 1904 (aged 58) London, England
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| Occupation | Actor-manager, actor, playwright |
| Spouse(s) | Caroline Heath (m. 1866) |
Wilson Barrett (born William Henry Barrett; 18 February 1846 – 22 July 1904) was a famous English actor, theatre manager, and writer of plays. He was known for putting on exciting shows called melodramas. These plays often had lots of drama, good guys, and bad guys.
Barrett's shows were so popular that they attracted huge crowds to English theatres. One of his most famous melodramas was The Silver King, which first opened in 1882. Later, his historical play The Sign of the Cross (1895) became a massive hit in both England and the United States.
Wilson Barrett's Life and Career
Early Life and Acting Beginnings
Wilson Barrett was born into a farming family in Essex, England. Even though he wasn't very tall, he was known for being handsome and having a very strong voice.
He started his acting career in 1864 in Halifax. He often performed in different towns with his wife, Caroline Heath. They got married in 1866 and had five children together.
Becoming a Theatre Manager
Barrett was very good at acting, and he used this success to become a theatre producer. This meant he was in charge of putting on plays. After gaining experience at places like the Grand Theatre Leeds, he took over the Old Court theatre in 1879.
At the Old Court theatre, he introduced a famous actress named Madame Helena Modjeska to London audiences. He also produced many other popular plays.
Success at the Princess's Theatre
In 1881, Wilson Barrett took over the Princess's Theatre. Here, his melodramas became incredibly successful. The theatre had its highest attendance ever during his time there.
He put on plays like The Lights o' London and then The Silver King. The Silver King is still considered one of the most successful melodramas of the 1800s in England. Barrett played the main character, Wilfred Denver, for three hundred nights in a row! He also had great success with another play called Claudian.
In 1885, he worked with writer Henry Arthur Jones on a play called Hoodman Blind. The next year, he worked with Clement Scott on Sister Mary. Barrett left the Princess's Theatre in 1886 and also started visiting America to perform.
Challenges and Triumphs
Barrett tried acting in plays by Shakespeare, like Hamlet, but he wasn't as successful in these roles. He soon returned to the melodramas that audiences loved him for.
Even though he sometimes performed in London, Barrett mostly toured with his company in other parts of England. His theatre company was very successful, making a lot of money each year. His brother, nephew, and even his grandson later joined his company.
Sadly, one of Barrett's productions, The Romany Rye, was playing on the night of the Exeter Theatre Royal fire. This was a terrible event that caused the deaths of 186 people, making it the deadliest theatre accident in UK history.
Despite this tragedy, Wilson Barrett was considered one of the most famous actors in London during the 1880s.
The Sign of the Cross and Later Years
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By the 1890s, new types of plays were becoming popular in London. This meant Barrett's melodramas weren't as trendy, and he faced some money problems. So, in 1894, he started touring the United States, performing in famous theatres on Broadway.
While in the U.S. in 1895, Barrett found huge success again with The Sign of the Cross. This play was a historical tragedy set in Ancient Rome during the time of Emperor Nero.
In the play, Barrett played Marcus Superbus, a Roman nobleman who falls in love with a young Christian woman named Mercia (played by Maud Jeffries). Marcus decides to become a Christian for her. In the end, both characters bravely sacrifice their lives in the arena to the lions. The story was similar to a popular novel called Quo Vadis.
The Sign of the Cross was a massive hit. Many people who didn't usually go to the theatre came to see it, often encouraged by local church leaders. Barrett tried to make more religious plays after this, but none were as successful.
Around 1900, he helped start a printing company that later became Waddingtons, a well-known company today.
Wilson Barrett's Death and Legacy
Wilson Barrett passed away in London on 22 July 1904. Thanks to the huge success of The Sign of the Cross, he left behind a good amount of money, even after some difficult times.
His grandson, also named Wilson Barrett, followed in his footsteps. He became an actor and director, even starting his own theatre company in 1939. This company performed in many cities and even on television before it stopped in 1954.
Wilson Barrett's Works
Plays He Managed
Wilson Barrett managed several important theatres, including:
- Grand Theatre Leeds, from 1878 to 1895
- Old Court theatre, starting in 1879
- Princess's Theatre, from 1881 to 1886
- Olympic Theatre (London), from 1890 to 1891
Plays He Wrote or Co-Wrote
Barrett also wrote or helped write many plays, such as:
- Sister Mary (1880s)
- Hoodman Blind (1885), with Henry Arthur Jones
- Good Old Times (1889), with Hall Caine
- Ben-My-Chree (1889), based on a novel by Hall Caine
- Clito, with Sydney Grundy
- The Manxman (1894), also based on a novel by Hall Caine
- Romany Rye
- The Sign of the Cross (1895)
- Lucky Durham
Later Film Adaptations
In 1932, a very successful movie version of The Sign of the Cross was made. It was directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starred famous actors like Fredric March as Marcus Superbus and Claudette Colbert as Poppea.
Plays He Acted In
Some of the notable plays where Wilson Barrett performed as an actor include:
- The Silver King (1882)
- Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello (Shakespearean plays)
- The Sign of the Cross (1895)
- Claudian, Ben-My-Chree, Virginius, The Manxman (1898)
Images for kids
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Wilson Barrett
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Barrett's production of Claudian
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Poster for Hoodman blind
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Wilson Barrett and Maud Jeffries in The Sign of the Cross
