Samuel Cautherley (c.1747–1805) was a British

stage actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

. His surname is sometimes spelt as Cautherly. Born to the actress Jane Green, he was reputed to be the son of David Garrick,

actor-manager An actor-manager is a leading actor who sets up their own permanent theatrical company and manages the business, sometimes taking over a theatre to perform select plays in which they usually star. It is a method of theatrical production used ...

at the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto ...

. Cautherley began appearing there as a

child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in movies or television. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associated t ...

. Sent away to school he quickly returned again to the stage in 1760 and, after another short period away, in 1765. Despite the assistance of Garrick, he was often criticised in the press. He played Charles Dudley in Cumberland's ''

The West Indian ''The West Indian'' is a play by Richard Cumberland first staged at the Drury Lane Theatre in 1771. A comedy, it depicts Belcour, a West Indian plantation-owner, travelling to Britain. Belcour tries to overcome his father's lingering disapproval ...

'' and appeared in a mixture of

lead Lead is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metals, heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale of mineral hardness#Intermediate ...

and

supporting role A supporting character is a character in a narrative that is not the focus of the primary storyline, but is important to the plot/protagonist, and appears or is mentioned in the story enough to be more than just a minor character or a cameo ap ...

s until falling out with Garrick in 1775, after which he quit the stage.The Routledge Anthology of Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Drama XLI

Selected roles

* Jasper in ''

Miss in Her Teens ''Miss in Her Teens; or The Medley of Lovers'' is a farce (or afterpiece) written in 1747 by David Garrick. It was adapted from Florent Carton Dancourt's 1691 play ''La Parisienne''. It was the third play written by Garrick, and was first perform ...

'' by David Garrick (1755) * Dorilas in '' Merope'' by George Jeffreys (1766) * Dauphin in '' King John'' by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 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 ...

(1766) * Hamlet in ''

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 ...

'' by

(1766) * Romeo in ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with ''Ham ...

'' by

(1766) * Lovel in ''

High Life Below Stairs ''High Life Below Stairs'' is a 1759 comedy play by the British writer James Townley.Worrall p.30 An afterpiece, it premiered at Drury Lane on a double bill with a revival of Dryden's '' The Mourning Bride''. A popular hit, it was frequently revi ...

'' by

James Townley Rev. James Townley (6 May 1714 – 15 July 1778) was an English dramatist, the second son of Charles Townley, a merchant. Early life, education and marriage Townley was born in 1714 probably at Tower Hill, London, the second son of Charles Town ...

(1767) * Charles in ''

The Jealous Wife ''The Jealous Wife'' is a 1761 British play by George Colman the Elder. A comedy, it was first performed at the Drury Lane Theatre on 12 February 1761 and ran for 19 performances in its first season and 70 by the end of the century. It was tra ...

'' by George Colman (1767) * Sidney in ''

False Delicacy ''False Delicacy'' is a 1768 comic play by the Irish playwright Hugh Kelly, with some assistance by David Garrick. It premiered at the Drury Lane Theatre on 23 January. The play was a major success for Kelly, being performed over twenty times d ...

'' by Hugh Kelly (1768) * Charles in ''

The Hypocrite ''The Hypocrite'' is a 1768 comic play by the Irish writer Isaac Bickerstaffe. It is a reworking of the 1717 play ''The Non-Juror'' by Colley Cibber, itself inspired by Molière's '' Tartuffe''. The original play had derived much of its humo ...

'' by

Isaac Bickerstaffe Isaac Bickerstaffe or Bickerstaff (26 September 1733 – after 1808) was an Irish playwright and Librettist. Early life Isaac John Bickerstaff was born in Dublin, on 26 September 1733, where his father John Bickerstaff held a government posi ...

(1768) * Lord Eustace in ''

The School for Rakes ''The School for Rakes'' is a 1769 comedy play by the British writer Elizabeth Griffith.Watson p.1503 It was inspired by the 1767 French play ''Eugénie'' by Pierre Beaumarchais. The original Drury Lane cast included Samuel Reddish as Frampton, ...

'' by

Elizabeth Griffith Elizabeth Griffith (1727 – 5 January 1793) was an 18th-century Welsh-born dramatist, fiction writer, essayist and actress, who lived and worked in Ireland. Biography Elizabeth Griffith was born in Glamorgan, Wales, to Dublin theater manager ...

(1769) * Hamlet in ''

The Jubilee ''The Jubilee'' is a 1769 play by the British playwright and actor-manager David Garrick, with music by Charles Dibdin. It was based on his ''Shakespeare Pageant'' which he had originally planned to stage during the Shakespeare Jubilee in ...

'' by

David Garick David Garrick (19 February 1717 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil and friend of Sa ...

(1769) * Villars in '' A Word to the Wise'' by Hugh Kelly (1770) * Charles Dudley in ''

'' by Cumberland (1771) * Alwin in ''

The Countess of Salisbury ''The Countess of Salisbury'' is a 1767 tragedy by Hall Hartson.Watson p.835 It is inspired by the 1762 novel ''Longsword'' by Irish writer Thomas Leland, who had been Hartson's tutor. It is based on the life of William Longespée, 3rd Earl of S ...

'' by Hall Hartson (1773)

References

Bibliography

* Straub, Kristina, G. Anderson, Misty and O'Quinn, Daniel . ''The Routledge Anthology of Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Drama''. Taylor & Francis, 2017. 18th-century English people 18th-century British people English male stage actors British male stage actors 18th-century English male actors 18th-century British male actors 1805 deaths Year of birth uncertain {{England-actor-stub