MacReady, William |
| ACTOR, MANAGER (ENGLAND) |
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BORN 3 Mar 1793, London - DIED 27 Apr 1873, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire BIRTH NAME MacReady, William Charles GRAVE LOCATION London: Kensal Green Cemetery, Harrow Road, Kensal Green (CAT.B, Vault 096, Comp 6 (2764)) |
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William Charles MacReady was the son of the actor William MacReady (the Elder) and the actress Christina Ann Birch. He attended Rugby School, but his father's financial problems prevented him from entering Oxford University. Instead, he supported his father in the management of his theatres. On 7 June 1810 he succesfully debuted as an actor as Romeo in Birmingham. After a quarrel with his father, he left for Bath in 1814. There he worked for two years. On 16 September 1816 he first appeared at Covent Garden in London. In 1818 he was successful in Isaac Pocock's "Rob Roy" and in 1819 as Richard III. After he moved to Drury Lane his popularity increased. He married Catherine Frances Atkins (d.1852) in 1825. They had several children, but only one boy and one girl survived. His daughter Catherine Frances Macready was a poet. In 1825 he was in Sheridan Knowles's William Tell. He performed in the USA in1826 and in Paris in 1829. In 1837 he joined the management of Covent Garden, where he staged Robert Browning's "Strafford" and his performance in Bulwer-Lytton's "Money" in 1840 was another success. He resigned from the management of Covent Garden in 1839 and his management of Drury Lane from 1841 to 1843 was a failure. He toured the USA from 1843 to 1844. During another visit to the USA in 1849 the Astar Place Riot broke out. It was possibly caused by his rival in plays by Shakespeare, the American actor Edwin Forrest. MacReady left the stage on 26 February 1851 with a performance of Macbeth at Drury Lane. He retired afterwards. Catherine died in 1852 and in 1860 he married Cecile Louise Frederica Spencer (1827-1908), who bore him a son. He died in 1873 in Cheltenham. Related persons • employed Boucicault, Dion • was a friend of Dickens, Charles • was a friend of Etty, William • is family of Farre, Rowena • cooperated with Faucit, Helena • cooperated with Stirling, Fanny • was influenced by Sullivan, Barry Events |
| 7/6/1810 | William MacReady debuts as Romeo in Birmingham |
| 16/9/1816 | William Charles MacReady debuts at Covent Garden. He played Orestes in "The Distressed Mother". It was his first appearance in London. |
| 17/5/1820 | James Sheridan Knowles' "Virginius" first performed in London. In April it was staged at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow and at this day at Covent Garden in London. William MacReady was Virginius and other actors were Maria Foote, Harriet Faucit, William Abbot, Charles Connor, John Faucit, Daniel Egerton, Thomas Comer, Charles Kemble and Faniel Terry. [Kemble, Charles] |
| 25/1/1830 | William MacReady tries out Byron's "Werner" in Bristol [Byron, George Noel Gordon ] |
| 15/12/1830 | William MacReady starts performing Byron's "Werner" at Drudy Lane in London. The try-out in Bristol went well and Drury Lane was now willing to stage it. The theatre was packed and the critics were positive. [Byron, George Noel Gordon ] |
| 26/2/1851 | William MacReady leaves the stage as MacBeth at Drury Lane in London. He gave a farewell performance of MacBeth and retired afterwards. |
| 3/9/1859 | Charles Dickens burns 20 years of correspondence. Three of his children, among them Kate, helped him. Kate begged her father to keep at least some some letters. Dickens burnt letters from Washington Irving, Thomas Carlyle, William Makepeace Thackeray, Alfred Tennyson and others. Henry Dickens observed later that he and his brother 'roasted onions on the ashes of the great'. [Dickens, Charles][Dickens, Henry Fielding ][Dickens, Kate][Irving, Washington][Thackeray, William Makepeace] |
| Images | |
 The coffin of William Charles Macready in the catacombs of Kensal Green Cemetery in London. Picture by Androom (28 May 2026) |
 The plaque for William Charles MacReady in the catacombs of Kensal Green Cemetery in London. Picture by Androom (28 May 2026) |
Sources • Greenwood, Peter, Who's buried where in England, Constable, London, 1982 • Howell, Margaret J., Byron tonight, A Poet's Plays on the 19th Century Stage, Springwood Books, Windlesham, 1982 • Microsoft Bookshelf, Microsoft, 1991 • Schöne, Günter, Bühnenstars, Florian Noetzel, Wilhelmshaven, 1998 • The Times • Winkler Prins Encyclopedie (editie 1909), 1909 • Virginius (play) - Wikipedia (EN) • William Macready - Wikipedia (EN) |
