Edward Smith Willard (9 January 1853 – 9 November 1915) was an English actor. He was born at

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

''Who's Who on the Stage: the dramatic reference book and ...'', Volume 1 edited by Walter Browne, Frederick Arnold Austin; 1906 pg. 227 and made his debut upon the stage at Weymouth in ''

The Lady of Lyons ''The Lady of Lyons; or, Love and Pride'', commonly known as ''The Lady of Lyons'', is a five-act romantic melodrama written in 1838 by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton. It was first produced in London at Covent Garden Theatre on 15 Febru ...

'' in 1869. He then toured with

E. A. Sothern Edward Askew Sothern (1 April 182620 January 1881) was an English actor known for his comic roles in Britain and America, particularly Lord Dundreary in ''Our American Cousin''. He was also known for his many practical jokes. Life and career ...

and later joined various stock companies. Coming to London in 1875, he played Antonio in ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...

'' with Charles Rice in 1876. After a varied experience in Shakespearean and other plays, in 1881 he was engaged by

Wilson Barrett Wilson Barrett (born William Henry Barrett; 18 February 1846 – 22 July 1904) was an English manager, actor, and playwright. With his company, Barrett is credited with attracting the largest crowds of English theatregoers ever because of his suc ...

at the Princess Theatre, where he played in ''The Lights of London'', ''The Silver King'', and other well-known pieces. In 1886, he made a hit as '' Jim the Penman'' at the Haymarket. One of his greatest successes was his production of ''The Middleman'' by

Henry Arthur Jones Henry Arthur Jones (20 September 1851 – 7 January 1929) was an English dramatist, who was first noted for his melodrama '' The Silver King'' (1882), and went on to write prolifically, often appearing to mirror Ibsen from the opposite (conserva ...

, at the Shaftesbury in 1889, he himself creating the part of Cyrus Blenkarn. He came to the United States in 1890, and made his first appearance at Palmer's Theatre (later, Wallack's Theatre) in New York, 10 November 1890, when he again acted in ''The Middleman'', and the greeting that hailed him was that of earnest respect. When Willard played the part of ''Judah Llewellyn'' for the first time in America, 29 December 1890, at Palmer's Theatre, he gained a verdict of emphatic admiration. Willard had long been known and esteemed, in New York, by the dramatic profession and by those persons who habitually observed the changing aspects of the Stage on both sides of the ocean, but to the American public his name had been comparatively strange. He sailed to England, then returned again to the United States in 1896, remaining till 1903, when he made 13 American tours. Emily Waters 1

In 1906, he retired from the stage, but returned on special occasions, as in 1911 for the gala performance at His Majesty's Theatre, London, to play the part of Brutus in the forum scene from ''Julius Caesar''. In 1875 Willard married Emily Waters, the daughter of a government civil servant attached to the

Woolwich Arsenal station Woolwich Arsenal station is an interchange station in the heart of Woolwich in the Royal Borough of Greenwich for Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and National Rail services. It has two parts; its raised, south-western part of the station is on ...

in London. Emily Waters was originally an actress but later turned to writing children's stories and plays under the pseudonym Rachel Penn. Edward Smith Willard was the uncle of

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 natio ...

n actor

Edmund Willard Edmund Willard (19 December 1884 – 6 October 1956) was a British actor of the 1930s and 1940s. Born in Brighton, Sussex in 1884, the nephew of Victorian era actor Edward Smith Willard, in 1920 Willard appeared in the plays of William Sha ...

and the great-uncle of children's author

Barbara Willard Barbara Mary Willard (12 March 1909 – 18 February 1994) was a British novelist best known for children's historical fiction. Her "Mantlemass Chronicles" is a family saga set in 15th to 17th-century England. For one chronicle, ''The Iron Lily'' ( ...

. Willard died in London on 9 November 1915."Edward S. Willard Dead"; ''Boston Daily Globe'', 10 November 1915

Notes

References

* ''

The Wallet of Time ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'' *

External links

*
E. S. Willard
on the cover of THE THEATRE March 1902 in ''The Cardinal''(archived) {{DEFAULTSORT:Willard, E. S. English male stage actors 1853 births 1915 deaths