John Drew Sr.
Template:Short description Template:For Template:More citations needed Template:Infobox person John Drew (September 3, 1827 – May 21, 1862) was an Irish-American stage actor and theatre manager.<ref name="Moses">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp
Early life
Born Jonathan Henry Drewland in Dublin, Ireland, (then in the former United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801-1922)<ref name="Moses"/>Template:Rp to father Thomas L. Drewland and wife / mother Louise Kanten, he was the fifth of their six children. In 1832, he journeyed and crossed the Atlantic Ocean, emigrated to the United States with his family to Boston, Massachusetts in New England. As a child, he spent most of his life living in Boston. This is where he began acting. A younger brother, Frank Drew (1831–1903), also came from Ireland to America, becoming an actor also.<ref name="Moses"/>Template:Rp
Career
After moving to the United States, Drew got a job in Joseph J. Johlen's theatrical company. He appeared in a number of Johlen's plays, including Uncle Mutch, The Barber Man, Canterbury of Livingston and The Progrist.
Drew made his first New York appearance in 1846. He played Irish and light comedy parts with success in many American cities, and was the co-manager of the famous Arch Street Theatre in Philadelphia after 1860 with his actress / wife Louisa Lane Drew (1820-1897), who also assisted in the theatre management along with the nearby Walnut Street Theatre, continuing as manager alone and occasional acting roles after his 1862 death for another three decades to 1892.
Personal life
John married Louisa Lane in 1848 this being her third marriage and his first. They had subsequently three children: Louisa (1852–1888), John Jr. (1853–1927), and Georgiana (1856–1893).
Drew died at his home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 21, 1862, at the early age of 34, after tripping, falling and fatally hitting his head during a party for then 6-year old daughter Georgiana. He was buried in nearby Glenwood Cemetery (now Glenwood Memorial Gardens),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in Philadelphia, which was later closed, and his remains were then moved to nearby Mount Vernon Cemetery in Philadelphia. After his death, his wife Louisa Lane Drew took over the management of the Arch Street Theatre for the next three decades up to 1892.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The Arch Street venue survived as the second oldest theatre in America until 1936 when it was unfortunately demolished after 108 years.
References
External links
- 1827 births
- 1862 deaths
- 19th-century American male actors
- Barrymore family
- Burials at Glenwood Cemetery/Glenwood Memorial Gardens
- Burials at Mount Vernon Cemetery (Philadelphia)
- Irish emigrants to the United States
- Irish male stage actors
- Male actors from Philadelphia
- 19th-century American theatre managers
- Male actors from Boston
- Male actors from County Dublin