Robert Bruce Mantell

Mantell, Robert B[ruce] (1854–1928), actor. Born in Irvine, Scotland, he first acted in England under the name Robert Hudson, then reverted to his real name when he came to America in 1878 to play in support of Helena Modjeska. After serving as Fanny Davenport's leading man, most notably as Loris Ipanoff in Fedora (1883), Mantell became a star playing Raymond Garth in Tangled Lives (1886). Subsequently he played the leading roles in such similar romantic melodramas as The Marble Heart (1887) and The Corsican Brothers (1890). After the turn of the century he appeared almost solely in Shakespearean roles, among them Hamlet, Richard III, Othello, and King John. His performances in these parts divided the critics, many of whom saw his “thundering,” “roaring” style as outmoded. Nevertheless, Mantell won huge audiences, especially on the road. Biography: Robert Mantell's Romance, Clarence Joseph Bulliet, 1918.