Background
James Henry Hackett was born on March 15, 1800 in New York, United States. He was the son of Thomas C. Hackett.
James Henry Hackett was born on March 15, 1800 in New York, United States. He was the son of Thomas C. Hackett.
James Hackett entered Columbia College in 1815 but withdrew. He then studied law privately.
In 1818, James Hackett became a wholesale clerk in a grocery firm in New York. After an unsuccessful entry into business, he went on the stage in March 1826 playing the role of Justice Woodcock in Love of a Village. He played opposite his wife in the play. He soon established a reputation as a player of eccentric character parts. The next year, James Hackett played at the Covent Garden in London with success. He traveled back and forth between the United States and Britain, achieving a reputation in the works of Shakespeare, particularly Falstaff.
James Henry Hackett died on December 28, 1871, in Jamaica, Long Island, New York.
In 1819, James Hackett married Catherine Leebuff, a young actress.