Background
Irving was born to a working-class family in Keinton Mandeville in the county of Somerset. W. H. Davies, the celebrated poet, was a cousin. Irving spent his childhood living with his aunt, Mrs Penberthy, at Halsetown in Cornwall.
Irving was born to a working-class family in Keinton Mandeville in the county of Somerset. W. H. Davies, the celebrated poet, was a cousin. Irving spent his childhood living with his aunt, Mrs Penberthy, at Halsetown in Cornwall.
He attended City Commercial School for two years before going to work in the office of a law firm at age 13. After a few years' schooling he became a clerk to a firm of East India merchants in London, but he soon gave up a commercial career and started as an actor.
Irving, Sir Henry Sir Henry Irving, English actor and theatrical manager, originally named John Henry Brodribb.
With Ellen Terry as his leading lady he dominated the English stage and was largely responsible for introducing the theater to his country's burgeoning middle class.
To him acting was movement and emotion; his realistic approach to creating a character, in which he stressed that the actor should incorporate real feelings into his characterization, led to the noted controversy with his French contemporary, Coquelin, who advocated simulated emotion (or representation) in acting.
On the 29th of September 1856 he made his first appearance at Sunderland as Gaston, duke of Orleans, in Bulwer Lytton's Richelieu, billed as Henry Irving.
This name he eventually assumed by royal licence.
By degrees his ability gained recognition, and in 1866 he obtained an engagement at the St James's Theatre, London, to play Doricourt in The Belle's Stratagem.
A year later he joined the company of the newly-opened Queen's Theatre, where he acted with Charles Wyndham, J. L. Toole, Lionel Brough, John Clayton, Mr and Mrs Alfred Wigan, Ellen Terry and Nelly Farren.
This was followed by short engagements at the Hay- market, Drury Lane and Gaiety.
The fortunes of the house were at a low ebb when the tide was turned by Irving's immediate success as Mathias in The Bells, a version of Erckmann-Chatriari's Le Juif Polonais by Leopold Lewis.
The play ran for 150 nights.
- With Miss Bateman, Irving was seen in W. G. Wills's Charles I and Eugene Aram, in Richelieu, and in 1874 in Hamlet.
The unconventionality of this last performance, during a run of 200 nights, aroused keen discussion, and singled him out as the most interesting English actor of his day.
In 1875, still with Miss Bateman, he was seen as Macbeth; in 1876 as Othello, and as Philip in Tennyson's Queen Mary; in 1877m Richard III and The Lyons Mail.
Irving managed London's Lyceum Theatre from 1878 to 1903.
His company frequently toured the United States where he became quite well known.
On 13 October 1905, at 67 years old, Irving was taking part in a performance while on tour in Bradford, when he suffered a stroke. He was taken to the lobby of the Midland Hotel, Bradford, where he died shortly afterwards.
In 1887 he became a founder member and first Treasurer of the Savage Club Lodge No 2190, a Lodge associated with London's Savage Club.
He married Florence O'Callaghan on 15 July 1869 at St. Marylebone, London, but his personal life took second place to his professional life. On opening night of The Bells, 25 November 1871, Florence, who was pregnant with their second child, criticised his profession: "Are you going on making a fool of yourself like this all your life?" Irving exited their carriage at Hyde Park Corner, walked off into the night, and chose never to see her again. He maintained a discreet distance from his children as well, but became closer to them as they grew older. Florence Irving never divorced Irving, and once he had been knighted she styled herself "Lady Irving"; Irving never remarried.