Background
John Hodgkinson was born c. 1767 in England. He was the son of a small English farmer of the name of Meadowcroft (or Meadowcraft). After the elder Meadowcroft's death, his widow remarried.
- Photos
- Works
- Photos
- Works
John Hodgkinson
Edit Profile
also known as
John Meadowcroft
Education
Hodgkinson was apprenticed to a silk weaver.
Career
Having an unusual voice, Hodgkinson sang in the choir of one of the Manchester churches. As a further exercise of his talents he formed a cellar theatre among the boys of his acquaintance and was highly gratified with the result until his master, discovering the secret, violently broke up the organization. John thereupon ran away from Manchester and, for purposes of concealment, took his mother's family name of Hodgkinson. At this time he was apparently in his fifteenth year.
Reaching Bristol, he decided to try out for the stage, and, after displaying his vocal ability before the local manager, he was engaged to sing in the chorus and perform other small offices about the theatre. Subsequently he was connected with two important provincial circuits and was soon recognized as one of the most promising actors of his day.
In 1789 he ran off with the nominal wife of Munden, his employer, and appeared for a time at the Exeter theatre. A year later he became a member of the company at Bath and Bristol and played numerous leads both tragic and comic. He was now in line for one of the London theatres, but at this juncture he applied for and obtained a position in the principal company of the United States.
His reasons for this step are not clear, but the fact that he left the so-called Mrs. Hodgkinson at Bath and arrived in America in company with Miss Brett, a young actress, whom he married on reaching this country, may throw some light on his motives. The Hodgkinsons made their American debut at Philadelphia, September 26, 1792, and created a highly favorable impression. At New York, where the company opened in January 1793, Hodgkinson was accepted in a short time as the most gifted and versatile actor the American stage had ever known.
Low comedy was his peculiar province, but he was almost equally capable in high comedy and tragedy, while his remarkable singing powers made him a prime favorite in opera. Moreover, his industry was indefatigable; it is said that he could perform a greater number of characters well than any other actor in the memory of man. Though he could rant in tragedy and his comedy was sometimes too broad, his age regarded him as a marvel. His wife too was a performer of distinction. The youthful charm of her delicate face and figure was particularly appealing in the roles of young girls, and also in some tragic parts, especially Ophelia. But because of her sweet and powerful singing voice, her forte was opera.
Hodgkinson soon proved to be a man of inordinate vanity and self-seeking. He quickly became the dictator of the company and ruthlessly seized all the best characters for himself and his wife. John Henry, joint director with Lewis Hallam, and Mrs. Henry were the special victims of his plundering, which finally became so unbearable that in 1794 Henry sold out to Hodgkinson, precisely as the latter intended he should. Hodgkinson now began to practise his arts against Hallam and his wife, and the result was deep enmity that sometimes led to violent eruptions.
In 1796 William Dunlap was persuaded to buy half of Hodgkinson's property, but he was unable to restrain his greedy associate, whose demands for more parts and more salary went on unabated. A year later Hallam withdrew from the management, and Hodgkinson assumed a greater dominance than before. By his efforts to maintain a summer company at Hartford and Boston and another at New York, contrary to Dunlap's advice, he contrived to lose large sums of borrowed money. He had already given his partner cause for complaint when, shortly before this, he appropriated a one-act play of Dunlap's and expanded it into a three-act drama, The Man of Fortitude; or, the Knight's Adventure (1807), without acknowledging his indebtedness.
In the spring of 1798 Hodgkinson retired from the New York theatre in order to accept the managership at Boston--taking with him considerable property that he had already sold to Dunlap. A year at Boston brought upon him such heavy debts that he offered to return to the Park Theatre, and Dunlap accordingly engaged him and his wife. Presuming on his popularity with the public, he again began demanding and obtaining more parts and more pay, but when he insisted on an equal voice in the direction of the theatre, his employer called a halt.
In 1803 Hodgkinson again broke his connection with New York and went to Charleston for two successful seasons. In the spring of 1805, Dunlap having become bankrupt, Hodgkinson obtained the lease of the Park Theatre. In preparation for the coming season he started south to secure actors and also to fulfil an engagement at Washington. On the way he was seized with yellow fever and died at a tavern near Bladensburg, Maryland.
Achievements
-
Hodgkinson was accepted in a short time as the most gifted and versatile actor the American stage had ever known. Low comedy was his peculiar province, but he was almost equally capable in high comedy and tragedy, while his remarkable singing powers made him a prime favorite in opera. It is said that he could perform a greater number of characters well than any other actor in the memory of man.
Personality
Tall and strong, with a face of manly comeliness and a melodious voice of great range, Hodgkinson was well equipped physically for his profession. He possessed also an astonishingly rapid and accurate memory and an extraordinary combination of sympathetic and imitative faculties.
As Dunlap and other writers have demonstrated, it is easy to represent Hodgkinson as a grossly and wilfully dishonest man, but it must be remembered that his early training was not favorable to the development of a rigid moral sense. He was probably seldom if ever conscious of wrong-doing.
Quotes from others about the person
"When I associate this actor with Garrick and Henderson I afford some ground for thinking he possessed no common claims. I do not hesitate to say, that had he enjoyed their good-fortune he would have risen to the rank of their undoubted successor. I doubt if such a number and such greatness of requisites were ever before united in one mortal man. " - John Bernard
Connections
In 1789 Hodgkinson ran off with the nominal wife of Munden, his employer, and appeared for a time at the Exeter theatre. In 1790 he left the so-called Mrs. Hodgkinson at Bath and arrived in America in company with Miss Frances Brett, a young actress, whom he married on reaching this country. In September 1803, Mrs. Hodgkinson died of tuberculosis. She was, according to Dunlap, "an amiable woman and a good wife". Hodgkinson was survived by two young daughters, Fanny and Rosina.
