IC-NRLF FAMOUS ACTORS OF THE DAY IN AMERICA Stage Lovers' Series Famous Actors of the Day, in America Famous Actresses of the Day, in America * L. C PAGE AND COMPANY (Incorporated) 2(2 Summer Street, Boston, Mass. Famous Actors of the Dayv;j in America By Lewis C. Strang ILLUSTRATED Boston L. C. Page and Company (Incorporated) 1900 Copyright, 1899 BY L. C. PAGE AND COMPANY (INCORPORATED) All rights reserved Colonial Electrotyped and Printed by C. H. Simonds & Co Boston, U. S. A. PREFACE. " FAMOUS ACTORS," as a companion volume to "Famous Actresses," follows the general plan of that book. The criticisms and esti- mates of the different players' abilities, ex- cept in cases where credit is given, are the author's own. The biographical facts, in- terviews, and anecdotes were obtained from various sources. They have in all cases been carefully verified, and the imaginings of the press agent have been scrupulously ruled out. In selecting the list of persons to be considered in the work, those actors most prominent on the American stage to- day were given the preference, and conse- quently it was found necessary to omit a number whose past achievements give them high rank in their profession. L. c. s. CONTENTS. PREFACE . . . . ix I. JOSEPH JEFFERSON . : * n II. JAMES A. HERNE . . ^ . 18 III. RICHARD MANSFIELD . ; . 36 IV. E. M. HOLLAND . . . ; 58 V. EDWARD H. SOTHERN . . .70 VI. JOHN DREW . > . . . 84 VII. WILLIAM FAVERSHAM . . . 94 VIII. JOHN B. MASON V 3 .< * "o IX. NAT C. GOODWIN . . * . 119 X. JAMES O'NEILL . . . .136 XI. WILLIAM H. CRANE . . . 149 XII. WILTON LACK AYE . . . .166 XIII. WILLIAM GILLETTE V . . 174 XIV. HENRY MILLER . , , . 190 XV. JAMES K. HACKETT . . . 200 VI Contents. CHAPTER XVI. HENRY JEWETT XVII. STUART ROBSON XVIII. MELBOURNE MACDOWELL XIX. SOL SMITH RUSSELL XX. OTIS SKINNER . . . XXI. J. E. DODSON . . . XXII. ROBERT B. MANTELL . * XXIII. ROLAND REED XXIV. JOSEPH HAWORTH . . , XXV. HERBERT KELCEY . PAGE 211 223 2 3 8 248 260 2 7 8 288 297 311 326 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE JOSEPH JEFFERSON AS RIP VAN WINKLE Frontispiece JAMES A. HERNE AS THE REV. GRIFFITH DAVEN- PORT . . , . ..... . 18 RICHARD MANSFIELD AS DICK DUDGEON IN " THE DEVIL'S DISCIPLE" . ....,-. 36 E. M. HOLLAND . . . . -.'-..'. . . 58 EDWARD H. SOTHERN AS D 'ARTAGNAN IN " THE KING'S MUSKETEER" . . . * ." ( . 70 JOHN DREW . . . . . . ' ; . 84 WILLIAM FAVERSHAM AS ERIC VON RODECK IN " THE CONQUERORS " . . ' _ . .94 JOHN B. MASON IN " SHENANDOAH " . . . no NAT C. GOODWIN AS DAVID GARRICK . . 119 JAMES O 'NEILL AS D 'ARTAGNAN IN " THE MUS- KETEERS" . . . . . . . 136 WILLIAM H. CRANE AS FALSTAFF . . . 149 WILTON LACKAYE AS SVENGALI IN "TRILBY" . 166 WILLIAM GILLETTE IN " SECRET SERVICE " . 174 HENRY MILLER IN "LIBERTY HALL". . . 190 JAMES K. HACKETT . . ... . 200 9 io List of Illustrations. PAGE HENRY JEWETT . . . . . . .211 STUART ROBSON AS BERTIE IN " THE HENRI- ETTA" . . . . . . . .223 MELBOURNE MACDOWELL . . . . . 238 SOL SMITH RUSSELL AS DOCTOR PANGLOSS IN "THE HEIR-AT-LAW" 248 OTIS SKINNER AS SHYLOCK IN " THE MERCHANT OF VENICE" . . . . . ^ . 260 J. E. DODSON AS JOHN WEATHERSBY IN " BE- CAUSE SHE LOVED HIM So". . . 278 ROBERT B. MANTELL IN "THE CORSICAN BROTH- ERS" . . . 288 ROLAND REED ',.- . -. .. 297 JOSEPH HAWORTH AS HAMLET . . ... . 311 HERBERT KELCEY ...... 326 FAMOUS ACTORS OF THE DAY. CHAPTER I. JOSEPH JEFFERSON. BELOVED by the public as no American actor ever was before, and what is a far greater tribute to the man as apart from the artist honoured and respected as a private citizen, Joseph Jefferson is passing the declining years of his life, surrounded by an affectionate family and loyal friends. Neither shaft of envy nor barb of malice assails him, for such affluence as he enjoys was won by arduous and conscientious en- deavour. His life, one of hardships and dis- ii 12 Famous Actors. couraging struggles, is crowned with a success fairly and honestly achieved. Greatest bless- ing of all, that marvellous art, born of a sym- pathetic and lovely character, nurtured by suffering and humiliation, an art that is i-atui e"-s ^odcrrilvl, stands to-day as perfect as ever ; his personality, whose pervading humour and kindly pathos flash between laughter and tears, retains all its charm ; the twinkling eyes are keen and sparkling, and sweet amiability shines brightly on a countenance that even with its wrinkles is fresh and youthful. Surely Joseph Jeffer- son's is an ideal old age. At this late day it is hardly necessary to tell with any elaboration the story of Mr. Jefferson's theatrical career, his autobiog- raphy has done that once and for all, and the few facts that follow are merely land- marks on his life journey. Born in Philadel- phia on February 20, 1829, the fourth Jefferson in direct line from the one that Joseph Jefferson. 13 made the name famous in the noteworthy days of the London Drury Lane Theatre, he made his first appearance on the stage in Washington, at the age of three years, as " Jim Crow " at a benefit given to Dan Rice. His youth and early manhood were passed amid all the poverty and privations endured by a barnstorming theatrical company that wandered here and there throughout the sparsely settled regions of the West and South. During the Mexican War he shared the fortunes of General Taylor's army, acting wherever night found him, and selling coffee and cakes to the soldiers during the day. In the years that followed he played with all the great actors of the time, the elder Booth, McCready, the Wallacks, Murdoch, and Edwin Forrest. In 1856 he made his first visit to England and France. On his return in 1857, he became principal comedian at Laura Keene's theatre in New York, where he acted Doctor Pangloss in "The Heir-at- 14 Famous Actors. Law," and created the character of Asa Trenchard in "Our American Cousin," in which he afterward starred. At Dion Bouci- cault's Winter Garden Theatre, in New York, he played Caleb Plummer in " The Cricket on the Hearth," and Salem Scudder in " The Octoroon." Mr. Jefferson first became in- terested in his great part of Rip Van Winkle in 1859, wnen he read Washington Irving's story. The character immediately formed itself in his mind, and his first version of the tale was produced that year, but met with no great success. He then went to Austra- lia, and while returning home, by way of England, he met in London Dion Boucicault, who worked over the Rip Van Winkle play into its present form. Mr. Jefferson first presented the new version in London, where its success was startling. It was accorded a similar reception in this country, and since that time Mr. Jefferson's name has been identified with the r61e. Since the death of Joseph Jefferson. 1 5 William J. Florence, with whom he was asso- ciated in "The Rivals" and "The Heir-at- Law," Mr. Jefferson has limited his theatrical engagements to a few weeks each season, during which time he has appeared only in the most important cities. Joseph Jefferson is a comedian with a rare gift of pathos and an extraordinary talent for character delineation. Although the modern stage knows him in but four parts, Rip Van Winkle, Bob Acres, Doctor Pangloss, and Caleb Plummer, the universality of his gen- ius for comedy remains unquestioned and un- doubted. It is useless to try to analyse his acting, for the spell he weaves about those that submit themselves to his enchantment abso- lutely nullifies the critical faculty. The illu- sion created is complete ; the actor's art seems simply nature, and no one ever thinks of such things as conception or method. Indeed, so great is his spontaneity that he sometimes deceives his audience. I remember the first 1 6 Famous Actors. time I saw him in " Rip Van Winkle" I was disappointed. I missed the ear-marks of the acting to which I was accustomed, and I could not at that time appreciate Mr. Jeffer- son's unfamiliar realism. I thought that he was " faking " the part atrociously. Of course, I laughed and cried with the rest, but the impression that he was not using his audience quite fairly stayed with me until I again saw him act the part. The spontaneity, I found, was there as before, and I was amazed to see the same gestures repeated and to hear the same words spoken. So it was with Bob Acres, in whom, however, I looked in vain for a suggestion of the vaga- bond Rip ; and so it was also with Doctor Pangloss, whose glowing urbanity I shall never forget. I know only one regret when I think of Joseph Jefferson. What a gal- lery of artistic creations might have been his had his professional life in this country been passed in some national institution similar to Joseph Jefferson. 1 7 the Come"die Franchise! Alas, that we should be so much the loser ! From time immemorial it has been the custom to give to the tragedian the position of highest rank and of greatest honour in the theatrical world. His province it is to portray the fierce passions and mighty emo- tions of mankind, passions and emotions which, when freed, rush forth an impetuous and ungovernable torrent, crushing, rending, and marring. The tragedian awes by his magnificence, but we do not love him. Occupying a trifle less prominent niche in the temple of art, but thrice more firmly established in our affections, is the comedian, who, like Joseph Jefferson, pictures with absolute fidelity, yet so sympathetically, so idealistically, the sorrows and joys of every- day life, whose cheerfulness and good nature cause humanity to rejoice, and whose tears are like April showers, which pass quickly and leave behind a world cleansed and smiling. CHAPTER II. JAMES A. HERNE. ON January 16, 1899, James A. Herne produced in Washington a play which he called "The Rev. Griffith Davenport," and which was a dramatisation of Helen Garde- ner's novel, "An Unofficial Patriot." The Washington papers could find no good in the work, and their opinion was reiterated in Baltimore and New York. Then Mr. Herne came to Boston with his new play, which, by this time, he had renamed " Griffith Daven- port," and there he met a kinder reception. Most of the critics praised the drama as a courageous and artistic effort, and a few of them considered it a play that could fairly be iS JAMES A. HERNE As The Rev. Griffith Davenport. James A. Herne. 19 termed great. The public, however, relig- iously stayed away from the theatre during Mr. Herne's two weeks' engagement, though an increased attendance at the last three or four performances gave a faint promise of awakening interest. " Griffith Davenport," from the standpoint of the man in the ticket office, was last season's most disastrous fail- ure, for Mr. Herne, who firmly believed in the worth of his drama, gave it every advan- tage in the way of an elaborate production, beautiful scenery, unique and appropriate costumes, and a splendid cast. Yet, in the face of the public verdict so emphatically rendered, I am convinced that "Griffith Davenport" is not only the strongest and most artistic drama written by an American playwright during the past decade, but I would even go a step farther, and declare that up to the last act it is the greatest American play ever produced. Certain it is that " Griffith Davenport " is 2O Famous Actors. by far the most serious and the most sincere drama that has been inspired by the Civil War. It is an honest attempt to set forth on the stage the causes that led to that tremen- dous conflict, to picture without sensational- ism the horrors that the struggle brought, especially to families rent in twain by the warring convictions of their individual mem- bers, and lastly, to show that even in a nation torn asunder there could be discerned the elements that made possible the final recon- ciliation. The play is as far removed from the conventional war drama, such as Bronson Howard's " Shenandoah," as it is possible to imagine. It is absolutely without a taint of theatricalism, and the loftiness of Mr. Herne's aim is apparent, even to those that believe his effort misapplied and futile. For one, I know that for four acts it moved me mightily. Moreover, it brought home to me with start- ling vividness the awful tragedy of that period of the country's history, and I realised James A. Herne. 21 the meaning of that war with a force and a conviction never before experienced. Mr. H erne's theories of dramatic art are well known. He believes in literally holding the mirror up to nature ; he believes that his mimic life on the stage should be in detail and in effect a reproduction of the real life of the workaday world ; he does not believe in dramatic climaxes, as the term is con- ventionally applied, and he does not believe in manufactured situations. This is realism, as Mr. Herne interprets it. "Griffith Dav- enport " is written in complete accordance with its author's theories, and consequently the dramatist flings the gauntlet full in the face of stage tradition. It was a gloriously daring experiment, and Mr. Herne surely proved that a drama, devoid of extraneous climaxes, might be crowded with the most absorbing dramatic interest and full of the most thrilling dramatic situations, situations whose power seemed all the stronger because 22 Famous Actors. they stood forth naked in their human reality. The first three acts are in wonderful unity. They cover the period between April and November, 1860, and picture with impar- tiality the good and bad sides of the institu- tion of slavery. The atmosphere is almost perfectly sustained, and the scenes among the slaves, the reproduction of the soft Vir- ginian dialect, the picturing of the delicate courtesy and old-fashioned gentility of the women, and the gallantry of the men all show stage art at its best. The central figure is Davenport, circuit-preacher, owner of slaves inherited from his father, and abolitionist by conviction. The implacability of the " insti- tution " is early indicated when Davenport's kindness of heart and sympathetic nature force him, against his will and in opposition to his professed principles, to buy a negro, the husband of one of his own slaves, whom his master is about to sell to satisfy a gam- James A. Herne. 23 bling debt. The division in Davenport's own household is tragic, a division of honest con- viction, be it understood, and unaccompanied by loss of affection or of mutual respect. On one side is the father and the younger son ; on the other, the loving mother and the im- petuous elder brother. The first clash comes when Davenport attempts to free his slaves, who, in their state of childish dependence, cannot comprehend what freedom means, and the growing animosity to Davenport among his neighbours culminates on the day Lin- coln is elected, when the obnoxious abolition- ist is forcibly driven from his home. The curtain of the third act, following Davenport's prayer after receiving the notice of expulsion, and the wonderful realism of the fourth act -Davenport's comments on the inaccu- racies in the only map that the Federals have of the Shenandoah Valley ; the great import of Governor Morton's words, when he said, referring to the defeat of Bull Run and 24 Famous Actors. Davenport's knowledge of the locality, "You could have prevented that disaster ; " the pathos of Davenport's parting with his wife after he has consented to lead the Union army through the valleys and over the hills and among the friends that he loves so well, are especially notable features of this remarkable drama. Mr. Herne's impersonation of the circuit- preacher is that of a master of the art of suggestion, and it is a character study of remarkable completeness. Davenport is so essentially human that at times he creates in the spectator's mind the same irritation that one feels toward a public man who seeks to dodge a knotty political problem by quibbling or by begging the question. Davenport, high- minded, sincere, and fearless, but with the spirit of the South strong within him, refuses for a long time to acknowledge the attitude toward his old friends and neighbours that logic and his own sense of right and justice James A. Herne. 25 must inevitably cause him to assume. After his attempt to free his slaves he is asked : " In case of war between the North and the South, what are you going to do ? " "I shall be neu- tral," is his reply. Squire Nelson, speaking with the voice of fate, answers : " There can be no neutrality ; you must be for us or against us." But Davenport only shakes his head. He cannot follow his own reasoning sufficiently far to see himself an enemy to his people. Nor has he fully realised the inevi- table two years later, when Governor Morton tells him that he must guide the Army of the Potomac through his beloved Shenan- doah Valley. Again Davenport says, " I am neutral." Morton throws at him that indict- ment regarding Bull Run, and at last Daven- port's eyes are opened, and he takes up the burden of his duty. How true to life is this development of Davenport's character! In contrast to Davenport's halting grasp of the part he must play in the conflict is the 26 Famous Actors. full comprehension vouchsafed Davenport's younger son, the serious-minded Roy. A boy in years, unfettered by tradition, and less moved than his father by environment and by consequences, he reaches instinctively the conclusion that his father is so reluctantly forced to admit. When the elder brother, Beverly, declares, without personal animosity and without heroics, that if he should find Roy fighting the South he would shoot him quicker than he would a Yankee, mean- ing, of course, that he would look upon the younger son as a traitor, Roy answers, with quiet intensity that proclaims the fixity of his purpose: "I certainly shall have to give you the chance." The last act of "Griffith Davenport" I consider wholly at variance with the drama as a whole. It is melodramatic in tone, but, worse than that, it is superlatively anticli- matic and a most serious detriment to the effect of the play. I can follow Mr. H erne's James A. Herne. 27 realism for a considerable distance, and I can appreciate his efforts to avoid the conven- tional, but I cannot allow that an anticlimax is a virtue. Far better make Davenport a martyr to the cause than have the curtain fall on a sentimental discourse. James A. Herne was born in Troy, New York, on February i, 1 840, and has been on the stage over forty years. His first appear- ance was made at the Adelphi Theatre, Troy, in 1859, as George Shelby in "Uncle Tom's Cabin." He remained in his native city for two seasons, and then went to Baltimore, where he played in the Holliday Street Theatre for three years. During that time he delivered the address at the opening of Ford's Theatre, Washington, in which Presi- dent Lincoln was afterward assassinated. After leaving the Baltimore company he travelled as leading man with the beautiful Susan Denning, and then went to California, as did all the best Eastern actors, including 28 Famous Actors. Edwin Booth and Lawrence Barrett. As long ago as 1869, Mr. Herne managed a theatre in New York, the Grand Opera House. On July 17, 1866, he married Helen Western, and as leading man for his sister-in-law, Lucille Western, Mr. Herne succeeded E. L. Davenport, playing Bill Sykes to Miss West- ern's Nancy in " Oliver Twist," and Francis Levison to her Lady Isabelle. It was while Mr. Herne was supporting Miss Western in New York that a little girl named Katherine Corcoran first saw him as she sat in a cheap seat in the gallery of the theatre, and heartily hated the villainous Bill Sykes, and by deduc- tion the man that acted him. She had no idea at that time that she, too, would one day be an actress, and she would have been hor- rified if she had known that ten years later she would become the wife of the man whom for the moment she so thoroughly detested. While still in her teens Katherine Corcoran went with her family to California, and so James A. Herne. 29 came under the instruction of Miss Julia Melville. One day she was rehearsing Con- stance in "The Love Chase," when she was confounded to see Mr. Herne, then one of the most popular and influential actors on the Pacific Coast, walk on the stage, and quietly seat himself on a convenient box, cross his legs, and fall to caressing one knee. Her recollection of that moment is that her ma- chinery seemed suddenly to stop ; she felt thirsty and could hardly articulate, for " that dreadful Mr. Herne" was a tyrannical stage- manager and a merciless critic. It was long afterward that she learned that Miss Melville had coaxed him to come to hear one of her pupils recite. The result was an opportunity to play Peg Worfington. It was on Novem- ber 5, 1877, tna t Katherine Corcoran made her successful debut in San Francisco, and immediately afterward she was taken by Mr. Herne on a starring trip to Portland, Oregon. A year later the two were married, and since 3O Famous Actors. that time they have been continuously asso- ciated in the productions of Mr. Herne's plays. Mr. Herne's first great success was "Hearts of Oak," which was brought out in San Fran- cisco in 1878. It had a wonderful vogue for ten or twelve years, and earned a fortune for the author. Mr. Herne described it as a melodrama without a villain. His second play was "The Minute Man," produced in Philadelphia in 1885. He lost money on this, and finally " Drifting Apart," a play first pre- sented in New York, from which Mr. Herne expected much, completely ruined him finan- cially. In 1888 he produced in Chickering Hall, in Boston, " Margaret Fleming," a seri- ous drama, which proved to be the forerunner of the "problem plays." The work was a little in advance of its time, though it barely missed being a success. The feature of the production was the marvellously realistic act- ing of Mrs. Herne, who is said to have been James A. Herne. 31 largely responsible for the personality and opinions of the heroine. In 1891 Mr. Herne entered into negotia- tions with the late J. H. McVicker for the production of a new play, which Mr. Herne called "The Hawthornes." Mr. Herne wasy/ a poor man, disappointed and thoroughly dis- heartened, for he had long been trying to find some one with money and influence who would interest himself in this play. Mr. McVicker wanted a spring attraction for his house, and he was charmed with the work. He rechristened it " Shore Acres' Subdivi- sion," and under that title it was first pro- duced at McVicker's Theatre, Chicago, on May 23, 1892. The production attracted but little attention, and the play was ac- counted a failure, only one critic predicting a great popular success for it. After about a week of poor business the play was renamed a third time, " Uncle Nat," but the change of title did not draw any larger audiences, 32 Famous Actors. and at the end of the third week the drama was withdrawn and other plays in Mr. Herne's repertory substituted. When the season closed Mr. Herne came East and began his struggles over again. Every prominent manager was either visited or written to, but none would consent to put money into a play that had proved a failure. In the end Mr. Herne had to give it up and accept an engagement in a New York produc- tion. About this time R. M. Field, the man- ager of the Boston Museum stock company, needed a new play, and he sent his stage- manager, Edward E. Rose, to see Mr. Herne. Mr. Rose heard the play read, and his report convinced Mr. Field of its merits. Accord- ingly arrangements were concluded for a Boston production, which took place at the Museum. The success of " Shore Acres " was pronounced, and it scored a run of one hundred and fourteen performances, which was remarkable for Boston. Mr. Field, James A. Herne. 33 believing that it was merely a local hit, sold his interest in the play to Henry C. Miner, of New York, for $1,500, and that astute manager is known to have cleared $35,000 as his share of the following season's profits. " Shore Acres " was acted by Mr. Herne all over the country until he made his production of " Griffith Davenport." " Shore Acres " was written before " Mar- garet Fleming," and in the play Mr. Herne had one cherished moment, which he felt sure would meet the condemnation of every experienced manager. It was the ending. The action closed on Christmas Eve. The children were sent to bed and were followed shortly after by all the adults, except Na- thaniel Berry, the lovable old bachelor, who tarried a moment to lock up for the night and put things to rights generally. With an ineffable smile, unlike that of any other actor on earth, the kind old man puttered about, and at last, after extinguishing the last 34 Famous Actors. candle, in the dim light that shone from the open damper of the kitchen stove, felt his way to the stairs and slowly climbed to his chamber, the curtain falling as his bent form disappeared at the head of the stairs. When Mr. Herne explained how he purposed to close the play Mr. McVicker objected. " Oh, no, my dear Mr. Herne," he said. "I fear you have made a mistake. The public would not wait for that. It is too unconventional. Your story is told when the young couple have returned from the West and made up with Helen Berry's father. Let the curtain fall as soon as possible after the climax is reached," and the drama was acted that way in Chicago. "When we came to rehearsal at the Bos- ton Museum," Mr. Herne remarked, " I expected that Mr. Field would object to my ending of the piece. If he had objected I was prepared to urge with all my eloquence my claim for recognition on that point. But James A. Herne. 35 to my delight Mr. Field almost immediately took my view of it, and so you find in ' Shore Acres ' an unconventional ending, and one which it seems to my poor judgment has the merit of a poetic suggestion, if nothing more." Mr. Herne's acting of Nathaniel Berry was a wonderful comedy achievement. It was a character part, of course, a realistic study of a familiar New England country type, which Mr. Herne pictured with per- fect truth. Nathaniel Berry lived under his touch, displaying with a fidelity that so closely approached nature that one never thought of art or acting all the kindly humour, the gentle pathos, and innate strength of character that made Uncle Nat so lovable a member of the human family. CHAPTER III. RICHARD MANSFIELD. FOR a number of years Richard Mansfield has held a foremost place among American actors, and last season his imposing produc- tion of Edmond Rostand's romantic drama, "Cyrano de Bergerac," gave him a position in this country very similar to that accorded Sir Henry Irving in England. While pro- fessionally Mr. Mansfield leads here as Mr. Irving leads there, it is not likely that the American actor will ever secure that same personal hold on the people that the British actor has ; for Mr. Mansfield is sadly defi- cient in suavity and in social tact, qualities that are especially prominent in Mr. Irving, and which have been important factors in 36 RICHARD MANSFIELD As Dick Dudgeon in " The Devil's Disciple." r " * * * Richard Mansfield. 37 advancing his interests. However, as a dramatic artist, I consider Mr. Mansfield greatly Mr. Irving's superior, and as an intellectual actor the American is certainly the Englishman's equal. Mr. Irving's rec- ord as an elaborate producer of plays is, of course, unequalled, but Mr. Mansfield's is not a mean one, and it represents a wealth of grit, pluck, and determination in the pursuit of an artistic ambition. Mr. Mansfield, like Mr. Irving, is pre- eminently a character actor. We have no great tragedians these days, and we forget what tragedy acting is until some foreigner, like Tomasso Salvini or Mounet-Sully, in whom a paternal government has kept the tragic fire always burning, visits us and either thrills or bores us the emotion de- pends entirely on the individual by his tremendously powerful and realistic art, as in the case of Salvini, or by the artistic completeness of his artificiality, as in the 38 Famous Actors. case of Mounet-Sully. We have no trage- dians principally because tragedy is not a popular form of dramatic art among a fini- cal people, who have not advanced far enough as a whole to appreciate the poetry of the classic tragedy, and who are so falsely re- fined that they are shocked by the brutality of suffering and death. The nearest ap- proach to tragedy is found in theatres that draw their support from the uneducated masses, and the boisterous acting seen in these playhouses seems to a person, accus- tomed to the more quiet and more subtle modern method, a burlesque. He is sur- prised at the influence these actors exercise over their emotional audiences. I once saw "Othello" played as if it were a melo- drama, and its effect on the spectators, who followed the development of the plot with breathless interest, was amazing. It is more than probable that Shakespeare intended that " Othello" should be presented in just that Richard Mansfield. 39 way and to just such people, and he would likely enough have laughed at our idea of the ideally tragic, which has killed the old-fash- ioned, ranting tragic actor and developed our present school of character actors. It may be stated right here, however, that no more artistic mummer ever lived than he who can unite with the eccentric physical and mental details of the character he impersonates emotional strength, pathetic power, and grim humour. Such a character is Mr. Mansfield's Cy- rano, a histrionic structure of Titanic pro- portions. One is so amazed at its immensity that the critical faculty is well-nigh paralysed, and he finds himself pondering on the breadth and intellectual grasp of the man that con- ceived the wealth of elaboration that went into the portrayal of the character, on the infinite patience that worked out such a store- house of detail, and on the resources of the actor's art that made possible so remarkable 4O Famous Actors. a creation. The most impressive feature of the Mansfield Cyrano, when the actor inter- preted the character with fullest power, was not the great intellectuality of his concep- tion nor the masterly resourcefulness of his impersonation, but it was the marvellous sympathy and pathos which pervaded both conception and exposition. The tragedy of Cyrano de Bergerac seemed the summing up of the tragedy of human existence, the common story of the many men who have started forth in life girded with honesty and nobility of purpose, with their ideals firmly fixed, and who have failed miserably to keep their souls pure. Few, indeed, fight as did Cyrano, to the bitter end ; few die without a compromise, with their crests snow-white. A moment ago I said the trag- edy of Cyrano. It is not true. Theirs the tragedy who fall by the wayside ; his the great victory ! It was this thoroughly real, this wonder- Richard Mansfield. 41 fully human quality in Mr. Mansfield's acting that seized one. He embodied Cyrano com- pletely, not as an individual, fighting for freedom and independence, but as the living representative of every man who cherishes unsordid ambition, unworldliness, and personal self-respect as greater than material honours won by bowing the knee or gainsaying the truth. The Mansfield Cyrano was a complete text-book in the art of acting, and it af- forded a splendid opportunity to study an artist's conception and exposition of a great character. It is no exaggeration to say that there was not a turn of a phrase, nor a move- ment of the body, that did not bear testi- mony to the actor's deep delving into details. Cyrano's mind and soul were probed to their innermost recesses, and the actor dragged forth every motive, however hidden, and however subtle, that in any way influenced the man in his attitude toward the world. 42 Famous Actors. And there were depths to probe in the char- acter imagined by Rostand. There have been apologists for Cyrano's braggadocio and swaggering; they feared that some one might be shocked by them out of sympathy with the character. Mr. Mans- field made it very clear that this spirit of bullying and boasting was but the cloak that hid from prying scoffers the tender, sen- sitive, exquisitely chivalrous nature of the real Cyrano. They were the assumed gar- ment of the man, whom none except Le Bret and the generous Ragueneau ever in the least understood, whose complete self- sacrifice Christian perceived but dimly, and whose great, pure love Roxane realised only when it was unmasked by the weakness of approaching death. Those boastings and floutings were the master strokes of a pa- thos that reached its climax at the very end of the drama, when Cyrano, bruised and wounded unto death by the foul blow of a Richard Mansfield. 43 cowardly assassin, strove with ghastly in- tensity to play the part that had been his life study. While Mr. Mansfield may not have ex- pressed to the full the rich sixteenth century humour of the first two acts, his mastery of the picturesque and tragic scenes of the last three acts was thorough. The famous bal- cony scene of the third act was marvellously played, and the effect produced was largely one of voice, for the scene was acted in darkness save for the light on Roxane that hid completely the features and all save the most pronounced gestures of Cyrano and Christian. Mr. Mansfield introduced a dar- ing bit of novelty by singing the " moon " verses that delayed the Comte de Guiche while Roxane and Christian were married. Strikingly original in treatment, also, was the duel scene in the first act. Mr. Mans- field perhaps because he knew that where Cyrano was, there the dramatic interest set- 44 Famous Actors. tied, perhaps (and we prefer to think this) because he followed his artistic sense never hesitated to sacrifice his claim to the centre of the stage for the purpose of heightening the picturesqueness of the action or of adding to its force. The duel was not fought in the open, with the stage crowd grouped in the background, and the two leaders in the action in unobstructed view of the audience. Instead, the crowd formed a complete circle about the fencers and fol- lowed them around the stage, as Cyrano pursued his continually retreating antagonist. We caught only occasional glimpses of the duellists, and above the murmuring of the crowd we heard the voice of Cyrano reciting his verses. The effect of it all was very realistic. Unconventional, too, was the cli- max of the battle scene. Cyrano was well to the rear of the stage, half-way up the slope, when the victorious Spaniards forced the redoubt and burst into view. Wounded, Richard Mansfield. 45 he sank to his knees, and in this posture shouted: " These are the Gasgon Cadets!" Then he fell, and lay stretched out on the embankment, only one of many. The gentle courtesy to the orange-girl in the first act, the snarling, rasping, tigerish recitation of the ballad of the Cadets, and the bound-down rage at Christian's interrup- tions in the second act, the convincing elocu- tion in the balcony scene in the third act, the delicate sentiment in the bearing toward Roxane in the fourth act, the pathos and tragic power of the difficult death scene, how incomparable was Mr. Mansfield in all of them ! In 1890, Richard Mansfield, in order to expose an impostor who claimed to be his brother, sent the following note to a Cleve- land lawyer : " I have no relatives in this country. My father, whose name was Mau- rice Mansfield, is dead, as is my mother, whose maiden name was Emma Rudersdorff. 46 Famous Actors. The family comprises now only my two brothers, my sister, and myself. My brother Felix, the eldest, resides with his family in Clifton, near Bristol, England. My sister Margaret is married and lives in France. My younger brother is also married, and lives in Milan, Italy." Mr. Mansfield was born on the island of Heligoland, one of the Frisian group in the North Sea, in 1857. Madame Rudersdorff was a famous opera singer, and Richard's youth was a migratory one. When most boys are still in the school- room, he was travelling all over the Conti- nent and England. When he was ten years old he was sent to school in Germany. One day he amused himself by painting the school- room door a vivid green, and he was so pleased with his work that he signed his name to the decorated panel. Great was the wrath of the ancient pedagogue, and Richard was summoned to the professor's study for an accounting, while the remainder of the Richard Mansfield. 47 pupils assembled beneath the window to profit by his agony. Days at the Derby School under the tutelage of the Rev. Walter Clark followed, and it was here that he made his first appearance in Shakespearian drama. The occasion was a class day exhibition, and Richard played Shylock. It was after this production that Doctor Selwyn, the late Bishop of Lichfield, turning to the young Thespian and grasping his hand, said, fer- vently : " Heaven forbid that I should en- courage you to become an actor, but should you, if I mistake not, you will be a great one." In 1869, while Richard Mansfield was studying at Yverdon, on the Lac de Neu- chatel in Switzerland, his mother came to this country, and in 1872 she was one of the most popular vocalists at the Boston Peace Jubilee. She was so pleased at her reception in that city that she decided to settle there, and Richard was sent for. He 48 Famous Actors. went to work in the large dry goods store of Jordan, Marsh & Company. He wrote the advertisements for the firm. He was also for a year the musical critic of the Boston Globe. A business life, however, had no at- tractions for him, and he decided to try his hand at painting. In 1875 ne journeyed to England, where he hoped to sell enough pic- tures to gain the means wherewith to pursue his studies ; but the pictures would not sell, and he soon found himself stranded, penni- less and almost starving. Too proud to send home for assistance or to ask it from his acquaintances in London, hungry and home- less, he walked the streets day and night, rejoicing that the polished uppers of his soleless shoes, and the one tidy looking suit of clothes that he possessed concealed his poverty. Occasionally he accepted in- vitations to dinner or to country houses, and he satisfied his independence by the thought that he paid for his meals by the Richard Mansfield. 49 delightful parlour entertainments that he gave. " None but a young, strong man could have subsisted upon the little I ate," said Mr. Mansfield. "For nearly three years I wan- dered about the streets of London a starving man, shunning former friends for fear that my necessitous condition would become known to them. Often, footsore and faint with hun- ger, I would gaze into the windows of restau- rants, bakers' and fruit stores, thinking the food displayed in them the most tempting and beautiful sight in the world. D'Oyly Carte then kept a registry for actors, and one day, having received a guinea for an arti- cle I had written, I paid him five shillings to put my name on his books. We had been friends before I had begun to avoid my friends, therefore he took an interest in me and soon obtained for me a situation with Ger- man Reed. I was to take the place of Corney Grain, the great drawing-room entertainer of 5