John Jay Adams

Adams, John Jay (1798?–1839), actor. A New Yorker who apparently had enjoyed some success as a businessman, he abandoned his mercantile interests to make his debut as Hamlet in 1822. His repertory also included such standard roles as Othello and Rolla in Pizarro. Apart from a two‐year retirement beginning in 1824, he continued to perform until drink and general dissipation brought about his early death. Despite the brevity of his career, his Hamlet was recalled as one of the finest of his era.