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John Drew
Drew, John (1827–62), actor and manager. He came as a ten‐year‐old with his parents from his native Dublin to New York, where his father assumed the post of treasurer at Niblo's Garden. Not until after going to sea and running a dry‐goods store in Ireland did he settle into the family profession, finding success in New York as Dr. O'Toole in The Irish Tutor at the Bowery Theatre. Thereafter, most of his best‐received roles were his Irish characters. In 1850 he joined the company at the Albany Museum, where he met and married Louisa Lane. Two years later he and Mrs. John Drew joined the ensemble at Philadelphia's Chestnut Street Theatre, and in 1853 they became co‐managers of the Arch Street Theatre with William Wheatley. An attempt by Drew to run the National Theatre in Washington quickly failed, so he returned to touring, both in America and in Ireland and England. When Mrs. Drew took over sole management of the Arch Street in 1861, he appeared under her aegis, playing not only his famous Irish parts but Meddle in London Assurance, William in Black‐Eyed Susan, and Sir Lucius O'Trigger in The Rivals, as well as Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Dromio. He died as a result of injuries sustained in a fall.
John Drew
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Drew, John, 1827-62, American actor, b. Dublin. After establishing a reputation as a comedian in the 1840s, he devoted his energies to the Arch Street Theatre, Philadelphia, where he maintained a famous stock company, with his wife as co-star. His wife, Louisa Lane Drew, 1820-97, b. London, came to the United States as a child and, until her marriage in 1850, acted with such stars as J. B. Booth and Edwin Forrest. On her husband's death she assumed management of the Arch Street Theatre until 1892, establishing her reputation as a character actress. She was constantly seen on tour (1880-92) as Mrs. Malaprop in The Rivals, which was her best role. Her three children, John and Sidney Drew and Georgiana Drew (who married Maurice Barrymore), had their early training under their mother. Her eldest son, John Drew, 1853-1927, b. Philadelphia, began his career in her company. In 1875 he joined the company of Augustin Daly in New York and played with acclaim in Daly's remarkable Shakespearean productions. In 1892 he left Daly and, as one of the first Charles Frohman stars, played in modern comedies with Maude Adams.
Bibliography
See L. L. Drew's Autobiographical Sketch; the younger John Drew's autobiography, My Years on the Stage (1922); biographies by E. A. Dithmar (1900) and P. Wood (1928); M. J. Moses, Famous Actor-Families in America (1906).
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Family of American actors, including John (1827-1862), his wife, Louisa (1820-1897), and their son John (1853-1927).
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John Drew (actor)
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2010) |
- For the Shakespearean actor born in 1853, this man's son, see John Drew Jr.
| John Drew | |
|---|---|
 Autobiographical Sketch of Mrs. John Drew, 1899 |
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| Born | Jonathan Henry Drewland September 3, 1827 Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | May 21, 1862 (aged 34) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Spouse | Louisa Lane Drew (m. 1848; until his death) |
John Drew (September 3, 1827 – May 21, 1862) was an Irish-American stage actor and theatre manager.
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Contents
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Early life
Born Jonathan Henry Drewland in Dublin, Ireland, to Thomas L. Drew and Louise Kanten, he was the fifth of six children. He lived in Templeogue, a poor Irish village in County Dublin during the 19th century. In 1832, John Drew emigrated to the United States with his family to Boston, Massachusetts. As a child he spent most of his life living in Boston. This is where he first got into acting.
Career
After moving to the United States, Drew got a job in the theatrical company of Joseph J. Johlen (the theatre manager). He appeared in a number of Johlen's plays, including Uncle Mutch, The Barber Man, Canterbury of Livingston and also The Progrist.
Drew made his first New York appearance in 1846. He played Irish and light comedy parts with success in many American cities, and was the manager of the Arch Street Theatre.
Personal life
John married Louisa Lane in 1848 this being her third marriage and his first. They had three children, Louisa (b.1852-1888), John Jr. (b. 1853-1927), and Georgiana (b. 1856-1893), the latter two of whom were accomplished actors. (Georgiana married Maurice Barrymore in 1876, begetting the Barrymore family; this makes John Drew a great-great-grandfather of actress Drew Barrymore.)
Drew died at his home in Philadelphia, at the early age of 34, after tripping & falling and fatally hitting his head during a party for daughter Georgiana. He was buried in Glenwood Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which was later closed and his body was moved to Mount Vernon Cemetery. After his death, his wife Louisa took over the management of the Arch Street Theatre.
Publications
- Moses, Famous Actor-Families in America (New York, 1906)
External links
- John Drew Sr at the Internet Broadway Database
- John Drew Sr formal portrait
- John Drew Sr portrait
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Oxford Companion to American Theatre
The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Copyright © 2004 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Columbia Encyclopedia
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.
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American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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