James Henry Hackett

Hackett, J[ames] H[enry] (1800–71), actor and manager. Born in New York, he studied law and went into business before making his acting debut at the Park Theater in 1826 as Justice Woodcock in Love in a Village. Not until he essayed Dromio of Ephesus later that year did he win widespread fame. Hackett would become probably the finest Shakespearean comedian of his day, but to most playgoers he was a favorite because of his Yankee characterizations. Examples of the latter include Solomon Swop in his own adaptation, Jonathan in England (1928), Rip Van Winkle, and the unlettered Kentucky congressman Colonel Nimrod Wildfire in The Lion of the West. This last character proved so popular that Hackett reprised the character in The Kentuckian (1833). His finest Shakespearean creation was Falstaff, which prompted William Winter to write, “He interpreted a mind that was merry, but one in which merriment was strongly tinctured with scorn. It cared nothing about virtue, except that some persons trade on that attribute; and it knew nothing about sweetness, except that it is a property of sugar and a good thing in sack.” Later in his career Hackett attempted Lear and Hamlet, but these were unsuccessful, so most of his long theatrical life was passed playing roles he popularized early on. Hackett also managed theatres, including the Bowery, the Chatham, the National, and the Astor Place Opera House, this last at the time of the Astor Place Riots. Considered something of a Shakespearean scholar as well, he was instrumental in New York's erecting a statue of Shakespeare in Central Park. His first wife, Catherine Leesugg (1797–1848), was a popular singer and actress.

James Henry Hackett
Born	1800 New York City, New York
Died	December 28, 1871 Queens, New York
Occupation	Stage actor
Spouse(s)	Catherine Leebuff

James Henry Hackett (1800, New York City – December 28, 1871, Jamaica, Long Island, New York), was a renowned actor.

J. H. Hackett as Falstaff

Hackett entered Columbia College in 1815 but withdrew. He then studied law privately. In 1818 he became a wholesale clerk in a grocery firm in New York. In 1819 he married Catherine Leebuff, a young actress. After an unsuccessful entry into business, he went on the stage in March 1826 playing the role of Justice Woodcock in Love of a Village. He played opposite his wife in the play. He soon established a reputation as a player of eccentric character parts. The next year, he played at the Covent Garden in London with success. He traveled back and forth between the United States and Britain, achieving a reputation in the works of Shakespeare, particularly Falstaff.

As a manager and impresario, he is remembered, among other things, for having engaged the troupe of Italian opera singers who formed the nucleus of the first season (1854-55) of the Academy of Music in New York City. After that, he appeared only rarely on the public stage. He was the author of Notes and Comments on Shakespeare (1863).

He was the father of James Keteltas Hackett.

Notes and references

• Obituary article in the New York Times, December 29, 1871

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