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

stage actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

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

David Garrick David Garrick (19 February 1716 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, Actor-manager, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil a ...

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 co ...

at the

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

. Cautherley began appearing there as a

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

. 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 Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

'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 disapprov ...

'' and appeared in a mixture of

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

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 a ...

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

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

William 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 nation ...

(1766) * Hamlet in ''

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

'' by

(1766) * 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 ...

'' 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 To ...

(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 trans ...

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

False Delicacy ''False Delicacy'' is a 1768 comedy 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 ...

'' 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 humour f ...

'' 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 pos ...

(1768) * Lord Eustace in '' The School for Rakes'' 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 (theatre), 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 Shakespear ...

'' by David Garick (1769) * Villars in ''

A Word to the Wise ''A Word to the Wise'' is a 1770 comedy play by the Irish writer Hugh Kelly. It was his second work after the 1767 hit ''False Delicacy''. Kelly was known as a supporter of the government, and an opponent of the radical John Wilkes. During the ...

'' by Hugh Kelly (1770) * Charles Dudley in ''

'' by

(1771) * Alwin in ''

The Countess of Salisbury The Countess of Salisbury may refer to: * The Countess of Salisbury (play), a 1767 tragedy by Hall Hartson * Ela of Salisbury, 3rd Countess of Salisbury (1187–1261), inspiration for the play * The Countess of Salisbury (novel) ''The Countess ...

'' by Hall Hartson (1773) * Rivers in '' The Note of Hand'' by

(1774)

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 British actors 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