George Richard Rignold, , (1839 – 16 December 1912) was an English-born actor, active in Britain and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Early life

Rignold was born in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, England. He was the son of William Rignall, an actor and theatre manager, and his wife Patience Blaxland, an actress. The surname Rignold was used professionally by both George and his brother

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

. George Rignold began his acting career quite young, playing the part of the messenger in

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

Acting career

Rignold soon gained a reputation in London as an actor, playing the parts of William in ''

Black-Eyed Susan ''Black-Eyed Susan; or, All in the Downs'' is a comic play in three acts by Douglas Jerrold. The story concerns a heroic sailor, William, who has been away from England for three years fighting in the Napoleonic Wars. Meanwhile, his wife, Su ...

'' and Romeo in

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

. In 1869, he was part of the company at the

Queen's Theatre, Long Acre The Queen's Theatre was a London theatre established in 1867 on the site of St Martin's Hall, a large concert room that had opened in 1850. It stood on the corner of Long Acre (formerly Charles Street) and Endell Street, with entrances in Wilso ...

. He then toured the United States (where women would fight over the good-looking actor) and Canada from 1875, where he made a great impression — a reference in ''

The Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 ...

'' in 1938 shows that memory of him persisted. He then toured in Australia. He spent a season playing

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1216–1281 ...

Drury Lane Drury Lane is a street on the boundary between the Covent Garden and Holborn areas of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of London Borough of Camden, Camden and the southern part in the City o ...

, where Staffordshire replicas were made of Rignold as the king on horseback. On May 30, 1877, at

Booth's Theatre Booth's Theatre was a theatre in New York built by actor Edwin Booth. Located on the southeast corner of 23rd Street and Sixth Avenue, Booth's Theatre opened on February 3, 1869. The theatre featured a grand vestibule with Italian marble floor ...

, he played Romeo to seven different actresses playing Juliet, including

Adelaide Neilson Lilian Adelaide Neilson (3 March 184815 August 1880), born Elizabeth Ann Brown, was a British stage actress. Early life Neilson was the daughter of a strolling actress, Anne Brown, and was born, out of wedlock, at 35 St Peters Square Leeds ...

Fanny Davenport Fanny Lily Gipsey Davenport (April 10, 1850 – September 26, 1898) was an American stage actress. Life The eldest child of Edward Loomis Davenport and Fanny Elizabeth (Vining) Gill Davenport, Fanny Lily Gypsey Davenport was born on April 10 ...

Ada Dyas Ada Dyas (c. 1843-1908) was an Irish actress. She made her London debut in 1861 in '' Henry IV'', and became famous in the 1871 play based on Wilkie Collins's novel '' The Woman in White''. Career Ada Dyas was the daughter of Mrs. Edward Dyas ...

and

Marie Wainwright Marie Wainwright (May 8, 1853 – August 17, 1923) was an American stage and sometimes screen actress. She achieved the bulk of her fame on the Victorian stage. Her parents were Commodore J.M. Wainwright and Maria Wainwright (''nee Page''). She w ...

. He then had a considerable career in Australia as a theatrical impresario and manager, often in conjunction with James Allison and

F. H. Pollock Frederick Hart Pollock (22 June 1842 – 10 November 1908) was an actor and publican, remembered as the lessee-manager of the Theatre Royal, Adelaide, South Australia. History Pollock was born in Newport, Wales, and at age 18 voyaged to Melbourne ...

. Rignold again toured the United States and then settled in Australia. He held the lease for

Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, Australia, refers to three theatres of the same name none of which remain standing. They were located in central Sydney on either Pitt Street or Quay Street. History First theatre (1887–1933) The original Her M ...

when it opened 10 September 1887 and held it for seven years. Rignold played Henry V on opening night. '' The Bulletin'' of 18 November 1899 criticised his arrogance and impatience with stage-managers. He retired in 1900 but came out of retirement in 1907 to play Jason successfully in ''

The Bondman ''The Bondman'' is a later Jacobean-era stage play, a tragicomedy written by Philip Massinger, first published in 1624. The play has been called "the finest of the more serious tragicomedies" of Massinger. Performance and publication ''The Bo ...

'', produced by

Bland Holt Bland Holt (born Joseph Thomas Holt, (24 March 1851 – 28 June 1942)Dennis Shoesmith,, Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 4, MUP, 1972, pp 413-414. Accessed 1 August 2009 was a comedian and theatrical producer, active in Australia. B ...

. His last stage appearance was at a benefit for

George Sutton Titheradge George Sutton Titheradge (9 December 1848 – 22 January 1916) was an English actor. Biography Titheradge was born in Portsea, Portsmouth, England, the eldest son of George Robert Titheradge (an accountant) and Sarah Isabelle Emblim. He made h ...

in December 1910.

Late life

Rignold's first wife, Marie Brabrook Henderson, played opposite her husband in many roles. She died 25 February 1902. He remarried in 1907 Georgina Coppin, a daughter of Australian actor and entrepreneur

George Selth Coppin George Selth Coppin (8 April 1819 – 14 March 1906) was a comic actor, a theatrical entrepreneur, a politician and a philanthropist, active in Australia.Sally O'Neill,Coppin, George Selth (1819–1906), ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', ...

. There were no children by either marriage. Rignold died on 16 December 1912 at Charlemont Private Hospital,

Darlinghurst Darlinghurst is an inner-city suburb in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district (CBD) and Hyde Park, within the local government area of the Ci ...

. He left his estate of £11,000 to the

Royal General Theatrical Fund Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, ...

References

* * Helen M. van der Poorten,
Rignall, George Richard (1839 - 1912)
, ''

Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...

'', Volume 6, MUP, 1976, p. 30.
Her Majesty’s Theatre, Sydney
account of Rignold on the theatre's opening night * P. McGuire et al., ''The Australian Theatre'' (Melbourne, 1948)

External links

* New York Times article

Mr. George Rignold picture
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rignold, George 1839 births 1912 deaths Colony of New South Wales people Australian male stage actors English male stage actors Male actors from Birmingham, West Midlands English emigrants to Australia