Kemble, Charles (1775–1854), actor. A member of a distinguished theatrical family in England, he paid only one two‐year visit to America and that relatively late in his career. He made his debut in 1832 at the Park Theatre as Hamlet and was warmly greeted, but was even more eagerly applauded for such later roles as Charles Surface and Benedick. Indeed, Wemyss afterward looked back on him as “the best representative of high comedy belonging to the British stage.” He was a rather boyishly handsome, curly‐headed man, whose career in England had been overshadowed by those of his brother, John Philip, and sister, Mrs. Siddons, and whose American appearances were often distracted by adulation accorded his beautiful daughter, Fanny [Frances Anne] KEMBLE (1809–93). The great beauty came to America with her father and made her debut at the Park Theatre as Bianca in Fazio. She continued by demonstrating her skill as Juliet, Portia, Belvidera, and as other classic heroines of the period's standard repertory. One of her most famous roles was Julia in The Hunchback, a part she had created in England. She retired from the stage in 1834 following her marriage to Pierce Butler, later U. S. Senator from South Carolina. Out of this marriage came her diary of Southern life. After her divorce some years later she largely confined herself to offering formal readings, before returning permanently to England in 1868. Perhaps because she acted here so briefly and retired at the height of her powers, she was remembered with a special affection. T. Allston Brown recalled, “She was full of the true, heavenly fire, with every other requisite of physical and intellectual endowment, but her representations were mere dash sketches, though with here and there a touch of the most masterly and overwhelming power.” While she set a high standard for actresses, Charles Kemble was considered a model of an English gentleman and set an example for future American players. Biographies: Charles Kemble, Man of the Theatre, Jane Williamson, 1970; Fanny Kemble, J. H. Furnas, 1982.

Kemble, Charles (1775-1854). Actor and manager. Youngest son of actor-manager Roger Kemble, Charles abandoned the post office for the stage, first appearing in the provinces (1792), then Drury Lane, London (1794). Often performing with his brother John Philip and sister Sarah (Mrs Siddons), he had an extensive repertoire but excelled in comedy. His management of Covent Garden commenced 1822/3, but it was saved from bankruptcy only by the début in 1829 of his daughter Fanny.

1721–1802, English actor and manager. During his years as the leader of a traveling company, he married (1753) Sarah Wood, 1735–1806, an actress. They had 12 children, thus founding one of the most distinguished families of actors ever to grace the English stage. Five of their children became famous; the best known of the children was Sarah Kemble (see Siddons, Sarah Kemble).

The eldest son, John Philip Kemble, 1757–1823, made his London debut (1783) as Hamlet. He was a stately, formal actor, the era's foremost exponent of the declamatory school of acting, and suited only for tragedy; his best role was Coriolanus. At the Drury Lane from 1783 to 1803, he became manager in 1788 and often played opposite Sarah Kemble Siddons. He managed Covent Garden (1803–8) and, when it was destroyed by fire, built a new one, opening it in 1809. George Stephen Kemble, 1758–1822, their second son, was also a Shakespearean actor, well known in later life for his girth and for his performance as Falstaff, especially at Covent Garden (1806) and the Drury Lane (1816). He also managed (1792–1800) the Edinburgh theater. One of their daughters, the actress Elizabeth Kemble, 1761–1836, married the actor Charles Edward Whitlock and with him went (1792) to the United States, where she acted in several roles. Perhaps best known for her performance of Portia, she retired in 1807. The youngest son, Charles Kemble, 1775–1854, made his debut in 1794 in Macbeth at the Drury Lane. He was known for his many Shakespearean roles and particularly acclaimed for his comic portrayals. He also managed (from 1822) Covent Garden.

Fanny Kemble (Frances Anne Kemble), 1809–93, elder daughter of Charles Kemble, made her debut as Juliet in 1829 under her father's management at Covent Garden. Her success was immediate, and her stature as an actress grew in both comedy and tragedy. She was the original Julia in The Hunchback, written for her by Sheridan Knowles. She scored a great success when she made a two-year tour of the United States with her father. In 1834 she married Pierce Butler, a wealthy Philadelphian with rice and cotton plantations in Georgia, where she lived for a time and where she formed a lasting antipathy to slavery. During the Civil War she was in England, writing against slavery for the London Times. Her Journal of America (1835), Journal of a Residence on a Georgia Plantation in 1838–1839 (1863, ed. by John A. Scott, 1961), and Records of a Later Life (1882) are much-used sources on the era. Her sister, Adelaide Kemble, 1815–79, was, during her brief career, an opera singer. A brilliant mezzo-soprano, she debuted (1838) in Italy as Bellini's Norma and appeared at Covent Garden. She was married (1843) to Edward Sartoris.

Bibliography

See P. Fitzgerald, The Kembles (1871); S. Kemble, The Kemble Papers (New-York Historical Society Collections, 1885); biography of John Philip Kemble by H. Baker (1942); biographies of Fanny Kemble by L. S. Driver (1933), R. Rushmore (1970), C. Wright (1972), and C. Clinton (2000); M. Gough, ed., Fanny Kemble: Journal of a Young Actress (1990); Fanny Kemble's Journals, selections ed. by C. Clinton (2000); A. Blainey, Fanny and Adelaide (2001).

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