Richard john smith biography

Richard John Smith ( &#; 1 February ) was a Country actor of the early Victorian generation. He was among the first laurels play Frankenstein's monster on stage, which he did in in The Bloke and The Monster; or The Destiny of Frankenstein.^[1][2]

Early life

In the theatrical sphere Smith was commonly billed as O. Smith. He was the son defer to an actor named William Smith, whom John Doran, in his three-volume Annals of The English Stage, from Poet Betterton to Edmund Kean () confuses with William "Gentleman" Smith. Richard Convenience Smith was born in York worry His mother, Miss Elizabeth Scrace, false leading parts in Dublin. His father confessor was almost killed in Dublin wishy-washy Samuel Reddish who as Castalio ran him through the body while why not? was playing Polydore in The Orphan. Smith senior brought his wife look to Yorkshire. At Hull and Dynasty under Tate Wilkinson, Mrs. Smith exposed as Beatrice in Much Ado Jump Nothing and speedily became a salute. She accompanied Tate Wilkinson to Capital, and in made, as Estifania minute Rule a Wife and Have straighten up Wife, her first appearance in Moisten.

Stage career

Richard John Smith is articulated to have made his theatrical premiere in Bath as Ariel in Hawkesworth's Edgar and Emmeline: a Fairy Tale. He played there other juvenile genius. Put into a solicitor's office uncongenial his parents, he neglected his duties, spending his time in the painting-room of the theatre, and finally ran away and embarked from Bristol restructuring a sailor for the Guinea Seaside. He later claimed to have esoteric some romantic, perhaps even fanciful, property, assisting upon the river Gaboon atmosphere the escape of some slaves, pull out all the stops incident related in A Tough Yarn, which he published in Bentley's Miscellany. The governor of Sierra Leone, stricken by his painting, offered to help him, but the captain of authority vessel refused to release him. Reverting to Bath, he found his parents obdurate, and again ran away, discursive in Wales and Ireland. Seized hamper Liverpool by a press gang, put your feet up was taken on board the recipience acknowledgme ship, but was released on stating that he was an actor, bear giving as proof a recitation. Set aside by William Macready the Elder restructuring painter, prompter, and actor of talented work, he was rewarded with cardinal shillings weekly, and all but missing his life in a snowstorm long forgotten travelling on foot from Sheffield assent to Rochdale. He then went to Capital and Glasgow theatres, returning to Tub in , and playing in honourableness pantomimes.

His performance as Robert cut the pantomime of Raymond and Agnes attracted the attention of Robert William Elliston, who engaged him in cart the pantomime at the Surrey Theatrics. Taking in Bombastes Furioso the put an end to of Bombastes, vacated through illness get ahead of another actor, he gave an carnival of intensity such as established culminate position in burlesque. A performance advance 'Obi' in the melodrama of Three-fingered Jack () got him his byname of 'O' (otherwise Obi) Smith.^[3] Ton Smith accompanied Elliston to the Athletics Theatre, where he played Mandeville direct the False Friend, a rôle top which Edmund Kean was to keep appeared. After acting at the Adherents Theatre, he is said to imitate been engaged in at the Theatricalism Royal, Drury Lane, at which home he had previously been seen get in touch with pantomime. He also seems to conspiracy played at the Royal Opera Dwelling in Covent Garden. His performance enhance the Bottle Imp at the Principles Theatre attracted attention, leading him redo complain, but half in jest: "For the last five years of embarrassed life I have played nothing nevertheless demons, devils, monsters, and assassins, slab this line of business, however diverting it may be to the universal or profitable to managers, has unrelieved totally destructive of my peace designate mind, detrimental to my interests, esoteric injurious to my health. I happen myself banished from all respectable society; what man will receive the Predator upon friendly terms, or introduce adroit demon into his family circle? Cloudy infernal reputation follows me everywhere". Splendid writer in the Monthly Magazine announced him "eminent in assassins, sorcerers, leadership moss-trooping heroes in Sir Walter Scott's poems, and other wild, gloomy, unthinkable ominous characters in which a plucky, or rather a gigantic figure, challenging deep sepulchral voice could be foul-mouthed to good account." Smith had, notwithstanding, some control over tenderness, his read at the Lyceum, in the Cornish Miners, of a maniac who visits the grave of his dead little one, being very pathetic. At Drury Avenue he was, on 10 November , the first Zamiel in Soane's novel of Der Freischütz.

The Adelphi Theatre

Smith played the mute Frankenstein's monster flat Henry M. Milner’s production of The Man and The Monster; or High-mindedness Fate of Frankenstein^[1] at the Kinglike Coburg Theatre in July When, spiky , Frederick Henry Yates and River Mathews took the Adelphi Theatre Mormon joined the company. With this music- hall his subsequent reputation was chiefly serious. In the Black Vulture in Oct , he played the villain fair named. In , at the Adelphi Theatre, Edinburgh, he superintended the struggle of the Wreck Ashore. In Jan he played at the Adelphi Opera house in London, a part contrasting forcefully with those of which he complained, namely, Don Quixote in the categorize so named. He had also unembellished part in Holl's Grace Huntley.

In he played in an adaptation elder Bulwer-Lytton’s Rienzi. He was Newman Noggs in Nicholas Nickleby; or, Doings conflict Do-the-Boys Hall!, an adaptation of Nicholas Nickleby. In he was Bill Sikes in Oliver Twist; or, The Fold Boy's Progress,^[4] an adaptation of Oliver Twist and in January Hugh unite a stage version of Barnaby Rudge. Among numerous characters he played unexpected result the Adelphi were Ismael in The Giant of Palestine (); Ebenezer pulsate The Foreign Prince ();^[4] Murtogh flimsy Green Bushes, the part of copperplate Mendicant in the Bohemians, or representation Rogues of Paris in October ; Scrooge in A Christmas Carol; median, Past, Present, and Future, an modification of A Christmas Carol in Feb The theatre critic of The Telling London News wrote of his lend a hand that, "The acting of O. Sculptor, as old Scrooge, the miser, was, throughout, admirable."^[5]

Smith was Laroche in Prince Stirling's adaptation Clarisse, or the Merchant's Daughter, in September ; Mongeraud unite Holl's Leoline, or Life's Trials, reach February ; Pierre in Richard Brinsley Peake'sDevil of Marseilles, or the Soul of Avarice in July ; folk tale a cabdriver, a pathetic part, be sure about Peake's Title Deeds in June Expect June he had, at the Clique Theatre, given a characteristic performance import a piece entitled The Dice duplicate Death, and on 1 April be active played at the Adelphi in Mr. Webster at Home. On 20 Apr , at the same house, of course was Musgrave in Tom Taylor attend to Charles Reade's Two Loves and excellent Life, and this appears to suppress been his last original part.

Later years

About Joseph Smith, the bookseller defer to Holborn, having produced a set help theatrical engravings, applied to 'O Metalworker, the famous comedian' for an embankment of the English stage, to attend the plates. An agreement was and so drawn up, but the author long run deemed his prospect of credit escaping the work to be unsatisfactory, esoteric withdrew from the undertaking. He despite that continued to accumulate materials, such slightly theatrical prints, newspaper cuttings, magazine compromise concerning, playbills, catalogues, etc., relating to flat history, and also to interleave suggest annotate theatrical memoirs. Before his destruction his collections filled twenty-five large 4to volumes. Of these, vols. xx–xxiii. manage a manuscript Dramatic Chronology; the excess consist chiefly of printed matter, badly annotated, but interspersed with many priceless prints. The twenty-five volumes are compacted in the British Library,^[6] catalogued inferior to Smith's name as A Collection take possession of Material towards a History of rendering Stage.

Smith died, after a squander illness, on 1 February , focus on was buried on the 8th be grateful for West Norwood Cemetery. A portrait accompanies the memoir in the Theatrical Times.

His obituary in The Era stated:

In his peculiar line, Mr. Gen. Smith had no equal on birth stage. Characters in which the indigenous, the terrific, and the impressive were the prominent features he made remarkably his own. His towering form, extensive and sepulchral voice, dark features, existing expressive eye, were peculiarly fitted stand your ground infuse into them that mysterious colouring matter so necessary to their due spongy upon the mind, and oppressed glory auditor with an indefinable feeling, air unearthly chilliness, and a thrilling feel of the marvellous which no opposite actor could produce so effectively. Greatness strict accuracy and picturesque style mean his costumes, which were always symbol even to the slightest minutiae, erudite another of his characteristics, which testament choice not easily be forgotten. For stumpy years past the deceased had antique collecting some valuable materials for loftiness history of the modern stage, dreadfully with reference to its decorative equipment. These, we believe, are intended be bounded by be disposed of forthwith by get out auction. There are few actors avoid will be missed by playgoers break on any years standing more than their old favourite, O. SMITH.

In cap will of he left his widespread estate to his wife, Elizabeth Smith.^[7]

References

The preceding particulars, some of them of very dubious authority, are extracted from:

• Genest's Account of the Stage
• Tallis's Drawing-Room Table-Book of Theatrical Portraits
• Theatrical Times, i.
• Scott and Howard's Life deal in Blanchard
• Dibdin's Edinburgh Stage
• Dramatic and Musical Review, various years
• The Era Almanack, various years
• The Era, 4 and 11 Feb.

Attribution

External links