IRVING, SIR Henry (originally JOHN HENRY BRODRIBB), English actor: b. near Glas tonbury, 6 Feb. 1838; d. Bradford, 13 Oct. 1905. He was a clerk in London, but adopted the theatrical profession, his first appearance being at Sunderland in 1856. He appeared first in London at the Princess' Theatre, in 1859; later went to Manchester and other provincial towns where he remained for five or six years, but returned to London in 1866, where his first marked success was as Digby Grant in Albery's Two Roses' (in 1870), which was followed by his powerful impersonation of Mathias in (The Bells.' This began, in 1871, his long associa tion with the Lyceum Theatre. His next note worthy parts were Charles I, Eugene Aram, and Richelieu, in the plays so named. In 1874, at the Lyceum Theatre, he sustained the part of Hamlet so successfully as to raise himself to the first place among English actors. His chief Shakespearian parts were Macbeth, Othello, Shylock, and Richard III. In 1878 he leased the Lyceum Theatre for himself, and later put on the stage in excellent style 'Othello,' The Merchant of Venice,' 'Much Ado About Nothing,' 'Romeo and Juliet,' 'Twelfth Night,' 'Faust,' 'Macbeth,' (Henry VIII,' 'King Lear,' etc., playing in them the principal character with Miss Ellen Terry as his leading lady. His appearances in the prov inces were equally successful with those in London, and he met with like favor in his repeated visits to the United States. Of his last great roles may be cited Becket in Tenny son's play of that name (1893), King Arthur in a play of that name (1895), Napoleon in 'Madame Sans-Gene' (1897), the title role in his son's play of 'Peter the Great) (1898), and Robespierre in a play of that name (1899), especially written for him by M. Victorien Sardou,. and the title rOle in 'Dante> by the same author (1903). He was knighted in 1895, being the first actor to receive this honor, and the universities of Dublin, Glasgow and Cam bridge conferred on him the honorary degree of LL.D. Although critics by no means agreed
as to the merits of his acting, it must be ad mitted that he excelled in originality, versatility and intellectuality of his interpretations prac tically every actor of his times. His manner isms of expression and deportment frequently lowered the value of his work, the sincerity of which, however, could not be decreased even by these handicaps. As a manager, too, he was a leading figure, both in respect to his elaborate productions and to the quality of his supporting companies. He was buried in Westminster Abbey. Some of his public addresses have been published, notably 'The Stage> (London 1878) ; 'The Stage as It Is' (London 1882); 'English Actors' (Oxford 1886) ; 'The Drama' (London 1893). Consult Archer, W., 'Henry Irving, Actor and Manager) (London 1883); Brerc ton, A., 'The Lyceum and Henry Irving' (Lon don 1903) • Id., 'Life of Henry Irving) (2 vols., London 1908): Child, H. H., 'Sir Henry Irving) (in 'Dictionary of National Biography,' 2d Supplement, Vol. II, London 1912) ; Drew, E., 'Henry Irving on and off the Stage' (Lon don 1889); Fitzgerald, P., 'Sir Henry Irving' (London 1906); Forshaw, C. F., ed.. 'Tributes to the Memory of the late Sir Henry Irving' (London 1905); Hiatt, C., 'Henry Irving> (London 1899); Marshall, F., 'Henry Irving, Actor and Manager' (London 1883); Menpes, M., 'Henry Irving' (London 1906): St. John, C., 'Henry Irving' (London 1906); Shaw, G. B., 'Dramatic Opinions and Essays' (London 1907) ; Stoker, Brain, 'Personal Reminiscences of Henry Irving (2 vols., London 1906) ; Terry, Ellen, 'The Story of My Life' (London 1908); Winter, W., 'Henry Irving' (New York 1855).