Betterton, Thomas

▪ English actor and author

born c. 1635, London, Eng.

died April 28, 1710, London

      leading English actor of the Restoration period and author of several popular adaptations.

      Betterton made his debut in 1659 and in 1661 was hired by Sir William Davenant (Davenant, Sir William) for the Duke's Company, which played successively at the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre and at Dorset Garden. After the collapse of the rival King's Men, the two companies merged (1682), and the joint companies, with Betterton as the artistic leader, played at Drury Lane (Drury Lane Theatre) until 1695, when Betterton and the older players revolted against Christopher Rich, the spokesman for the patentees. Betterton led the secession of the players who moved into Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre and later into the new Haymarket. He was survived by his wife, the former Mary Saunderson (d. 1712), an actress who had made her mark in Shakespearean roles. As a couple they were known for their encouragement and training of younger performers.

      Betterton's range of characters was extremely wide. He created about 120 new roles, aside from playing such leading parts in the older dramas as Hamlet, Macbeth, Henry VIII, Mercutio, King Lear, Othello, Brutus, and Hotspur. His Hamlet and Sir Toby Belch were said to be equally credible. Contemporary observers agree that Betterton used restraint in his acting.

Additional Reading

Judith Milhous, Thomas Betterton and the Management of Lincoln's Inn Fields, 1695–1708 (1979).

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