Sir John Martin-Harvey

(1863-1944) Sir John Martin-Harvey, one of the most popular actors of his time, had a long and successful career of more than forty years on the stage. He first appeared in 1881 and then the next year joined the troupe of Sir Henry Irving with whom he stayed until 1896. He played in at least nine Shakespeare plays, but usually in fairly minor roles. Not until 1899 and a year with Sir Johnston Forbes-Robertson in 1897 did he begin playingRead more

Alfred Harris

Alfred Harris was a member of Sir Frank Benson‘s company. He first played at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in 1913 in Twelfth Night and ended his career at Stratford in 1924 after playing in eighteen Shakespeare plays. He married Dorothy Green, another “Bensonian.”Read more

Genevieve Hamper

(1888-1971) Genevieve Hamper, an American actress, was married to Robert B. Mantell (she was thirty-four years his junior) and played in his company, often acting alongside him in major roles, until his death in 1928. She married another actor, John Alexander, and seems to have left the stage permanently for a career in Hollywood where she made several films. Her son, Robert Mantell, Jr., also an actor, committed suicide in 1933.  Read more

Walter Hampden

(1879-1956) Walter Hampden Dougherty was born in New York City, but he began his stage career in England where he learned his craft as a player in Frank Benson‘s company. He returned to New York in 1907, where he became identified with a number of Shakespeare roles: Shylock, Hamlet, Othello, Oberon, Macbeth, and Romeo. In 1925, he acquired the Colonial Theatre in New York and renamed it Hampden’s Theatre, and there he established a repertory theatre that included the playsRead more