Alexander Cooke (died February 1614) was an actor in the King's Men and the Lord Chamberlain's Men, the acting companies of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

John Heminges John Heminges (bapt. 25 November 1566 – 10 October 1630) was an English actor in the King's Men, the playing company for which William Shakespeare wrote. Along with Henry Condell, he was an editor of the First Folio, the collected plays of Sha ...

and

Richard Burbage Richard Burbage (6 January 1567 – 13 March 1619) was an English stage actor, widely considered to have been one of the most famous actors of the Globe Theatre and of his time. In addition to being a stage actor, he was also a theatre owne ...

. Cooke was most likely introduced to the theatre by John Heminges, to whom he was apprenticed under the Grocer's Guild on 26 January 1597. While guild records state that his indenture was to last seven years, Cooke was not freed until 22 March 1609. Cooke bound Walter Haynes under the same guild on 28 March 1610. Cooke's full name first appears in the plot for

Ben Jonson Benjamin Jonson ( 11 June 1572 – ) was an English playwright, poet and actor. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence on English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for the satire, satirical ...

's '' Sejanus His Fall'' (1603) in which he is listed as a "principle tragedian". This might indicate that he was a young actor in a prominent female role, perhaps Agrippina. He became a shareholder in the King's Men in 1604 when the number of shareholders was expanded to twelve. He was also cast in ''

Volpone ''Volpone'' (, Italian for "sly fox") is a comedy play by English playwright Ben Jonson first produced in 1605–1606, drawing on elements of city comedy and beast fable. A merciless satire of greed and lust, it remains Jonson's most-perfo ...

'' ( 1605), in which he may have been Lady Would-be; Jonson's '' The Alchemist'' ( 1610); '' Catiline'' ( 1611) and Beaumont and Fletcher's '' The Captain'' (c. 1612).

Edmond Malone Edmond Malone (4 October 174125 May 1812) was an Irish barrister, Shakespearean scholar and Literary editor, editor of the works of William Shakespeare. Assured of an income after the death of his father in 1774, Malone was able to give up his ...

introduced the hypothesis, still current though far from certain, that Cooke as a boy actor originally played many of Shakespeare's principal female roles. Indeed, Cooke is listed as a principal player in the

First Folio ''Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies'' is a collection of plays by William Shakespeare, commonly referred to by modern scholars as the First Folio, published in 1623, about seven years after Shakespeare's death. It is cons ...

, indicating that he was involved in many of William Shakespeare's plays. Cooke acted until 1612 when he may have become ill. He wrote his will on 3 January 1614 and was buried inside St. Saviour's church, now Southwark Cathedral, on 25 February. Around the time of his death Cooke had resided in Goat Yard, in the parish of St. Saviour's,

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

. In his will, Cooke names John Heminges and

Henry Condell Henry Condell ( bapt. 5 September 1576 – December 1627) was a British actor in the King's Men, the playing company for which William Shakespeare wrote. With John Heminges, he was instrumental in preparing and editing the First Folio, the c ...

as trustees of his children – his sons Francis (born in 1605) and Alexander (1614), and daughters Rebecca (1607) and Alice (1611). Cooke's wife acted as his executrix. Alexander Cooke had a brother John; John Payne Collier speculated that this John Cooke was the author of '' Greene's Tu Quoque.'' Edmond Malone and David Kathman speculated that Cooke was the "Saunder" who appeared in the plot of Part 2 of '' The Seven Deadly Sins''. The existing plot is believed to be from a 1597-8 revival of the play, which was first performed in 1585. Kathman's argument that the plot is from a revival is based on the fact that Thomas Belte-a contemporary of Cooke-may also appear on the plot. In addition, records show that Cooke was at some point referred to as "Saunder"; he is listed under this name on his daughter's baptismal record. In Gary Blackwood's 1998 novel '' The Shakespeare Stealer'', Cooke is portrayed as the hero's best friend, Sander.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooke, Alexander English male Shakespearean actors English male stage actors 17th-century English male actors 1614 deaths Year of birth unknown Boy players King's Men (playing company)