William Bowen (1666–1718) 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. ...

. He was part of the

United Company The United Company was a London theatre company formed in 1682 with the merger of the King's Company and the Duke's Company. Both the Duke's and King's Companies suffered poor attendance during the turmoil of the Popish Plot period, 1678–8 ...

from 1689. For a time, he became known for his comic roles. He was fatally wounded in a duel with fellow actor James Quin in 1718.''The Routledge Anthology of Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Drama'' p.XXXIX

Selected roles

* Valet in '' Bury Fair'' by

Thomas Shadwell Thomas Shadwell ( – 19 November 1692) was an English poet and playwright who was appointed Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate in 1689. Life Shadwell was born at either Bromehill Farm, Weeting-with-Broomhill or Santon House, Ly ...

(1689) * Whiff in '' The Widow Ranter'' by

Aphra Behn Aphra Behn (; baptism, bapt. 14 December 1640 – 16 April 1689) was an English playwright, poet, prose writer and translator from the Restoration (England), Restoration era. As one of the first English women to earn her living by her writ ...

(1689) * Lignoreles in '' The Massacre of Paris'' by

Nathaniel Lee Nathaniel Lee (c. 1653 – 6 May 1692) was an English dramatist. He was the son of Dr Richard Lee, a Presbyterian clergyman who was rector of Hatfield and held many preferments under the Commonwealth; Dr Lee was chaplain to George Monck, afterw ...

(1689) * Sancho in '' The Successful Strangers'' by

William Mountfort William Mountfort (c. 1664 – 10 December 1692), English actor and dramatic writer, was the son of a Staffordshire gentleman. He met his death at the hand of notorious brawler Charles Mohun, 4th Baron Mohun of Okehampton, who had just take ...

(1690) * Sir Gentle Golding in ''

Sir Anthony Love ''Sir Anthony Love; Or, The Rambling Lady'' is a 1690 comedy play by the Irish writer Thomas Southerne. It was originally staged by the United Company at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane with a cast that included Susanna Mountfort in a breeches ...

'' by

Thomas Southerne Thomas Southerne (12 February 166026 May 1746) was an Irish dramatist. Biography Thomas Southerne, born on 12 February 1660, in Oxmantown, near Dublin, was an Irish dramatist. He was the son of Francis Southerne (a Dublin brewer) and Margare ...

(1690) * Coachman in '' The English Friar'' by

John Crowne John Crowne (6 April 1641 – 1712) was a British dramatist. His father "Colonel" William Crowne, accompanied the earl of Arundel on a diplomatic mission to Vienna in 1637, and wrote an account of his journey. He emigrated to Nova Scotia where ...

(1690) * Tranio in ''

Amphitryon Amphitryon (; Ancient Greek: Ἀμφιτρύων, ''gen''.: Ἀμφιτρύωνος; usually interpreted as "harassing either side", Latin: Amphitruo), in Greek mythology, was a son of Alcaeus, king of Tiryns in Argolis. His mother was named ...

'' by

John Dryden John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration (En ...

(1690) * Lopez in ''

The Mistakes ''The Mistakes'' is a 1690 tragicomedy by the English writer Joseph Harris. It was originally staged at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane by the United Company. The original Drury Lane cast included John Hodgson as Don Juan de Mendoza, George Pow ...

'' by Joseph Harris (1690) * Fabion in ''

Alphonso, King of Naples ''Alphonso, King of Naples'' is a 1690 tragedy by the English writer George Powell (playwright), George Powell. First staged by the United Company at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, the original cast included John Bowman (actor), John Bowman as A ...

'' by George Powell (1690) * Albanact in ''

King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...

'' by

(1691) * Monsieur Le Prate in ''

Love for Money ''Love For Money; Or, The Boarding School'' is a 1691 comedy play by the English writer Thomas D'Urfey. It was originally staged at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane by the United Company. In 1733 it was adapted into a ballad opera ''The Boarding Sch ...

'' by Thomas D'Urfey (1691) * Monsieur Lassoil in ''

Bussy D'Ambois ''Bussy D'Ambois: A Tragedie'' (probably written 1603–1604; first published 1607) is a Jacobean stage play written by George Chapman. Classified as either a tragedy or "contemporary history," ''Bussy D'Ambois'' is widely considered Chapman' ...

'' by Thomas D'Urfey (1691) * Thoughtless in ''

Greenwich Park Greenwich Park is a former hunting park in Greenwich and one of the largest single green spaces in south-east London. One of the eight Royal Parks of London, and the first to be enclosed (in 1433), it covers , and is part of the Greenwich World H ...

'' by

(1691) * Sir Timothy Kastril in '' The Volunteers'' by

(1692) * Callow in '' The Marriage-Hater Matched'' by Thomas D'Urfey (1692) * Sir Joseph in ''

The Old Bachelor "The Old Bachelor" at Covent Garden in 1756 featuring Mrs Elmy... ''The Old Bachelor'' is the first play written by United Kingdom">British playwright William Congreve, produced in 1693 in literature, 1693. Incidental music for the play was wri ...

'' by

William Congreve William Congreve (24 January 1670 – 19 January 1729) was an English playwright, satirist, poet, and Whig politician. He spent most of his career between London and Dublin, and was noted for his highly polished style of writing, being regard ...

(1693) * Cummington in '' The Richmond Heiress'' by Thomas D'Urfey (1693) * Sir Symphony in '' The Maid's Last Prayer'' by

(1693) * Squeezewit in '' A Very Good Wife'' by George Powell (1693) * Sir John in '' The Married Beau'' by

(1694) * Jaqueline in '' The Fatal Marriage'' by

(1694) * Jeremy in ''

Love for Love ''Love for Love'' is a Restoration comedy written by English playwright William Congreve. It premiered on 30 April 1695 at the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre. Staged by Thomas Betterton's company the original cast included Betterton as Valenti ...

'' by

(1695) * Sir John Aery in '' The She-Gallants'' by George Granville (1695) * Jasper in '' The City Lady'' by Thomas Dilke (1696) * Cheatall in ''

The Innocent Mistress ''The Innocent Mistress'' is a comedy written by Mary Pix, first performed in 1697. Plot Sir Charles, a younger son with no estate, is unhappily married to the wealthier, older and "ill-bred" Lady Beauclair. Lady Beauclair is supposedly a ...

'' by

Mary Pix Mary Pix (1666 – 17 May 1709) was an English novelist and playwright. As an admirer of Aphra Behn and colleague of Susanna Centlivre, Pix has been called "a link between women writers of the Stuart Restoration, Restoration and Augustan litera ...

(1697) * Nickycrack in ''

The Pretenders The Pretenders are a British rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Farndon (ba ...

'' by Thomas Dilke (1698) * Teague in ''

The Twin Rivals ''The Twin Rivals'' is a 1702 comedy play by the Irish writer George Farquhar. It was one of the author's least successful plays.Bond & Sherburn p.777 A younger son schemes to cheat his elder brother out of the family estate. The original Drury L ...

'' by

George Farquhar George Farquhar (1677The explanation for the dual birth year appears in Louis A. Strauss, ed., A Discourse Upon Comedy, The Recruiting Officer, and The Beaux' Stratagem by George Farquhar' (Boston: D.C. Heath & Co., 1914), p. v. Strauss notes t ...

(1702) * Monsieur de Pistolein '' The Old Mode and the New'' by Thomas d'Urfey (1703) * Gusman in ''

Adventures in Madrid ''Adventures in Madrid'' or ''The Adventures in Madrid'' is a 1706 comedy by the English writer Mary Pix. It was her final staged work. It premiered at the Her Majesty's Theatre, Queen's Theatre in the Haymarket, London, Haymarket. The original ...

'' by

(1706) * Captain Strut in '' The Double Gallant'' by

Colley Cibber Colley Cibber (6 November 1671 – 11 December 1757) was an English actor-manager, playwright and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate. His colourful memoir ''An Apology for the Life of Colley Cibber'' (1740) describes his life in ...

(1707) * Truncheon in '' The Play is the Plot'' by John Durant Breval (1718)

References

Bibliography

* Highfill, Philip H, Burnim, Kalman A. & Langhans, Edward A. ''A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers, and Other Stage Personnel in London, 1660-1800: Garrick to Gyngell''. SIU Press, 1978. * Straub, Kristina, G. Anderson, Misty and O'Quinn, Daniel . ''The Routledge Anthology of Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Drama''. Taylor & Francis, 2017. 17th-century English male actors 18th-century English male actors 18th-century British male actors 1666 births 1718 deaths {{England-stage-actor-stub