ROBERTSON, THOMAS WILLIAM (1829-1871 ) , Eng lish actor and dramatist, was born at Newark on Jan. 9, 1829.
Robertson was familiar with the stage from his childhood; he was the eldest of a large family, the actress Margaret (Madge) Robertson (Mrs. Kendal) was the youngest. A farcical comedy by him, Al Night's Adventure, was produced, without great suc cess, at the Olympic, under Farren's management as early as 1851. He remained for some years longer in the provinces, vary ing his work as an actor with miscellaneous contributions to news papers. In 186o he went to London, and edited a mining journal. He was at one time prompter at the Olympic under the manage ment of Charles Mathews. He wrote a farce entitled A Cantab, which was played at the Strand theatre in 1861. This brought him a reputation in a Bohemian clique, but so little practical assistance that he thought of abandoning the profession to become a tobacconist. Then, in 1864, came David Garrick, produced at the Haymarket with Edward Sothern in the principal character, which has kept the stage ever since.
But his name was made by the production of Society at the Prince of Wales Theatre in 1865, under the management of Miss Marie Wilton, afterwards Mrs. Bancroft. Play-writer and
company were exactly suited one to another; the plays and the acting together—the small size of the playhouse being also in their favour—were at once recognized as a new thing. Although some critics sneered at the "cup-and-saucer comedy," voted it absurdly realistic, said there was nothing in it but commonplace life represented without a trace of Sheridanian wit and sparkle, all London flocked to the little house in Tottenham Street, and the stage was at once inundated with imitations of the new style of acting and the new kind of play. All Robertson's best known plays (except David Garrick) were written for the old Prince of Wales's under the Bancrofts, and that regime is now an historical incident in the progress of the English stage. Ours was produced in 1866, Caste in 1867, Play in 1868, School in 1869, M.P. in 187o. Robertson died in London on Feb. 3, 1871.
See Principal Dramatic Works of Robertson; with Memoir by his son (1889) ; and T. E. Pemberton, Life and Writings of Robertson (1893).