Augustin Duncan (April 17, 1873 – 1954) was an American actor and director active in New York and London during the first half of the 20th century.

Biography

The eldest boy of four children of Joseph Charles Duncan, a banker, and Mary Isadora Gray, he was the brother of

Isadora Duncan Angela Isadora Duncan (May 26, 1877, or May 27, 1878 – September 14, 1927) was an American-born dancer and choreographer, who was a pioneer of modern contemporary dance and performed to great acclaim throughout Europe and the United States. Bor ...

, Raymond Duncan and Elizabeth Duncan (1871-1948). Duncan made his stage debut in 1893 in San Francisco, and toured for seven years before appearing in New York in 1900, then continuing in roles in New York and London. In 1919, he was a member of the

Theatre Guild The Theatre Guild is a theatrical society founded in New York City in 1918 by Lawrence Langner, Philip Moeller, Helen Westley and Theresa Helburn. Langner's wife, Armina Marshall, then served as a co-director. It evolved out of the work of ...

as a performer and director. After he separated from the Guild, Duncan directed and acted in such productions as ''The Cradle Song'' (1921), ''The Detour'' (1921), ''The First Man'' (1922), ''Hell-Bent for Heaven'' (1924), and ''

Juno and the Paycock ''Juno and the Paycock'' is a play by Seán O'Casey. Highly regarded and often performed in Ireland, it was first staged at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin in 1924. It is set in the working-class tenements of Dublin in the early 1920s, during the I ...

'' (1926). He also directed plays in which he did not appear, such as ''Kempy'' (1922). In the late 1920s his eyesight started to fail. By the early 1930s Duncan was blind. He continued to perform, playing John of Gaunt and the Ghost in Maurice Evans's productions of ''Richard II'' (1937) and ''Hamlet'' (1938). He made his last appearance as the Father in ''

Lute Song The term lute song is given to a music style from the late 16th century to early 17th century, late Renaissance music, Renaissance to early Baroque music, Baroque, that was predominantly in England and France. Lute songs were generally in stroph ...

''in 1946. He married the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

actress Margherita Sargent. Their son Angus was Executive Director of

Actors' Equity Association The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly called Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American trade union, labor union representing those who work in Theatre, live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions w ...

from 1952 – 1972.

Sources

* ''Augustin Duncan'', an entry in: The Oxford Companion to American Theatre, by Gerald Bordman and Thomas H. Hischak, Oxford University Press, 2004.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duncan, Augustin American male actors American theatre directors 1873 births 1954 deaths American expatriates in England