William Bayle Bernard (27 November 1807 – 5 August 1875), often referred to as "Bayle Bernard", was a well-known American-born London playwright and drama critic. Born in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, the son of English comic actor John Bernard, he came to Britain with his family in 1820, where he first worked as a clerk in an army accounts office. His plays include ''The Four Sisters'' and ''Casco Bay'' (1832), ''The Kentuckian'' (1833), ''The Nervous Man'' (1833), '' The Mummy'' (1833), ''Marie Ducange'' (1837), ''The Round of Wrong'' (1846), ''The Doge of Venice'' (1867), ''The Passing Cloud'' (1850) and ''A Storm in a Teacup'' (1854), as well as adaptations of

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He wrote the short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legend of Sleepy ...

's ''

Rip Van Winkle "Rip Van Winkle" () is a short story by the American author Washington Irving, first published in 1819. It follows a Dutch-American villager in Colonial history of the United States, colonial America named Rip Van Winkle who meets mysterious Du ...

'' (1834) and

Wilkie Collins William Wilkie Collins (8 January 1824 – 23 September 1889) was an English novelist and playwright known especially for ''The Woman in White (novel), The Woman in White'' (1860), a mystery novel and early sensation novel, and for ''The Moonsto ...

's ''

No Name No Name or Noname may refer to: Geography *No Name, Colorado * No Name Key, an island among the Florida Keys * No Name Tunnel, located near the same named town in Colorado Art, entertainment, and media *No-Name (character), a fictional character i ...

'' (1863). He also wrote the five-volume historical romance ''The Freebooter's Bride'' (1829). His play ''The Mummy'', a popular success on its debut at the Theatre Royal, Adelphi, influenced

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

's "Some Words with a Mummy".

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernard, William Bayle 1807 births 1875 deaths American emigrants to the United Kingdom English male dramatists and playwrights 19th-century English dramatists and playwrights 19th-century English male writers