Background
Samuel Drake was born on November 15, 1768 in Devon, England. He was an actor and theatre manager in the provinces. His name was really Samuel Drake Bryant but he dropped his surname when he went on the stage.
Samuel Drake was born on November 15, 1768 in Devon, England. He was an actor and theatre manager in the provinces. His name was really Samuel Drake Bryant but he dropped his surname when he went on the stage.
In 1810 Drake came to the United States, bringing with him a large and talented family, composed of his wife (formerly a Miss Fisher), three sons, and two daughters. They landed at Boston, where the parents were during the season of 1810-11 members of the Boston Theatre Company. With it they apparently remained until 1813, when they moved to Albany to join the company of John Bernard, Drake himself becoming stage manager and playing such roles as Caesar in Julius Ccesar. The next year Mrs. Drake died.
About this time, there appeared in Albany a young man named Noble Luke Usher who was endeavoring to collect a band of actors to go to Kentucky, where he had theatres in Louisville, Lexington, and Frankfort. He succeeded in interesting the Drakes.
The journey to Kentucky was a most difficult and dangerous one, as much of the country through which the travelers had to pass was but sparsely inhabited and really wild. In November, according to Ludlow, the company reached Pittsburgh, where they halted long enough to give a brief season, and then pushed on to the other destination. Meeting with success there and completely dispossessing his predecessor, one William Turner, Drake sought to set up his hegemony in neighboring centers, St. Louis, Vincennes, and Cincinnati.
In these towns, however, he was not so successful, and during the remainder of his professional career centered his attentions on Kentucky, which state he dominated theatrically for years.
After his retirement, he settled on a farm in Oldham County, where he eventually died.
Drake married Miss Fisher. They had three sons, and two daughters.