Don Edgardo Colona (1846–1904) was the stage name of Edgar Chalmers, a hard-working lesser tragedian in British theater. Colona grew up in Mexico, the son of a Scots mining engineer. He first appeared on a British stage at the age of eighteen, in a performance of

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depi ...

, and soon joined the Drury Lane company.''Era'' magazine, obituary, August 20, 1904. Other Shakespearian roles included Richard the Third,

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cyp ...

, and, in the eighteen-nineties, a disastrous

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

at the Old Vic. (As Don Edgardo was about to enact the murder of Duncan, an audience member shouted "Go home! And leave the poor old king alone!") Colona also wrote or adapted a number of plays, the most successful of which were ''Crime and Atonement'' and ''Don John of Seville,'' a blank verse work first performed at the Elephant and Castle Theater in 1876.William Davenport Adams, ''A Dictionary of the Drama,'' 411
/ref>

References

1846 births 1904 deaths British male stage actors 19th-century British male actors {{UK-stage-actor-stub