Background
David James was born on 1839 in London to a family of Sephardic Jewish origin. His real name being Belasco.
David James was born on 1839 in London to a family of Sephardic Jewish origin. His real name being Belasco.
He made his stage debut as a child actor at the Princess"s Theatre, London, then managed by Charles Kean. As a young manitoba he appeared in various burlesques. One of his best roles during that time was as Mercury in Francis Burnand"s Ixion, which he performed in its 1863 premiere at the Royalty Theatre.
In 1870 he joined Henry James Montague and Thomas Thorne as the first managers of the newly opened Vaudeville Theatre where his greatest success was as Perkyn Middlewick in Henry James Byron"s Our Boys which opened on 16 January 1875 and ran for over 1300 performances.
He left the Vaudeville Theatre in 1881 to work at the Haymarket Theatre, followed by a stint at the Lyceum Theatre. Shortly before his death in 1893, Our Boys was revived for him.
James was one of the founders of London's Vaudeville Theatre. His greatest success was as Perkyn Middlewick in Byron's "Our Boys, " a part which he made famous and which he played more than thirteen hundred consecutive times.
In 1886, he became a member of Charles Wyndham"s company at the Criterion Theatre.
His unctuous humour and unfailing spirits made him a great favourite with the public.
