Henry Jacobson (1836 – 13 August 1885), best known by the stage name Harry Jackson, was an English actor and stage manager.
Harry Jackson | |
|---|---|
 Jackson in an 1885 illustration | |
| Born | Henry Jacobson[1] 1836 London, England |
| Died | (aged 49) London, England |
| Resting place | Willesden Jewish Cemetery[2] |
| Occupations |
|
| Spouse | Lydia Ann Jacobson[1] |
Biography edit
Early life and career edit
Harry Jackson was born into a Jewish family[1] in London in 1836. At a young age he left England for Australia, where he began his career in the performing arts. During the Australian Gold Rush he played with a company in improvised theatres at the diggings.[3][4] He subsequently performed alongside Mrs W. H. Foley[5] in Auckland, New Zealand,[6][7] and in San Francisco between 1856 and 1862.[2][8]
Around 1870, Jackson relocated to England and took the stage at the Gaiety Theatre in London. He appeared at the Princess's Theatre, where he eventually assumed the role of stage manager. In the late 1870s, he joined the company of Augustus Harris and gained prominence as the leading comedian and stage manager at the Drury Lane Theatre.[3][9]
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Jackson specialized in portraying caricatures of Jews in productions like Queen's Evidence, The World, and Pluck.[9][10] His portrayal of Napoleon I also received some acclaim, due to his physical resemblance to the historical figure.[3] He directed the Opera Comique during Lotta Crabtree's performances in 1883–84.[2]
Death edit
On 12 August 1885, he revived his best known role[8] at the Pavilion Theatre, Whitechapel, that of the "disreputable Jew diamond dealer"[10] Moss Jewell in The World.[2] That night, Jackson reportedly expressed fears about not being permitted to be buried among the Jewish community, given "his identification on the stage with the hideous caricature of a Jew [which] gave great and not unnatural offence to his coreligionists."[11]
He died of a morphine overdose the following evening at his residence at 45 Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, at the age of 49.[1] A coroner's inquest found no evidence to suggest any suicidal intent.[12] He was buried at Willesden Jewish Cemetery on 19 August.[2]
Selected roles edit
- Various characters (including impersonations of Edward Kenealy and Napoleon I) in Heads of the People (Drury Lane Theatre, Gaiety Theatre, Globe Theatre, and across England, Scotland, and Ireland)[13]
- Rip Van Winkle in Rip Van Winkle by Dion Boucicault (Gaiety Theatre, 1872)
- Isaacs (alias Jonas Levant) in Queen's Evidence by George Conquest and Henry Pettitt (Surrey Theatre, 1882; Princess's Theatre, 1878)
- Moss Jewell in The World by Paul Meritt, Henry Pettitt, and Augustus Harris (Drury Lane Theatre, 1880; Pavillion Theatre, 1885)[14]
- Larry O'Pheysey in Youth (Drury Lane Theatre, 1881)[14]
- Bevis Marks in Pluck; A Story of £50,000 by Henry Pettitt and Augustus Harris (Drury Lane Theatre, 1882)[14]
See also edit
References edit
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Jacobs, Joseph; Lipkind, Goodman (1904). "Jackson, Harry". In Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. p. 19.
- ^ a b c d "Death of Mr. Harry Jackson". The People. Vol. 3, no. 202. London. 23 August 1885. p. 6.
- ^ a b c d e Boase, Frederic (1897). Modern English Biography. Vol. 2. Truro: Netherton & Worth. pp. 31–32.
- ^ a b c Rubinstein, William D.; Jolles, Michael A.; Rubinstein, Hillary L., eds. (2011). "Jackson, Harry". The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History. London: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 463. ISBN 978-0-230-30466-6. OCLC 793104984.
- ^ "Death of Mr. Harry Jackson". The Edinburgh Evening News. Vol. 3, no. 3827. Edinburgh. 15 August 1885. p. 2.
- ^ McLintock, Alexander H. (1966). "Dramatic Societies". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Vol. 3.
- ^ Downes, Peter (1975). Shadows on the Stage: Theatre in New Zealand—The First 70 Years. J. McIndoe. pp. 31–32.
- ^ "The Late Harry Jackson". The Era. Vol. 48, no. 2475. London. 27 February 1886. p. 7.
- ^ a b "Death of Mr. Harry Jackson". The Era. Vol. 47, no. 2447. London. 15 August 1885. p. 8.
- ^ a b Berenbaum, Michael; Skolnik, Fred, eds. (2007). "Jackson, Harry". Encyclopaedia Judaica. Vol. 11 (2nd ed.). Detroit: Macmillan Reference. p. 116. ISBN 978-0-02-866097-4. Gale CX2587509828.
- ^ a b "Harry Jackson at Drury-Lane". The Era. Vol. 42, no. 2186. London. 15 August 1880. p. 7.
- ^ "The Late Mr. Harry Jackson". The Edinburgh Evening News. Vol. 3, no. 3829. Edinburgh. 18 August 1885. p. 3.
- ^ "Death of Mr. Harry Jaconson". The Stage. No. 231. 21 August 1885. p. 17.
- ^ "Mr. Harry Jackson, the Inimitable Comedian". The Entr'acte: Theatrical and Musical Critic and Advertiser. No. 261. 4 July 1874. p. 6.
- ^ a b c Dramatic Notes: A Chronicle of the London Stage, 1879–1882. London: David Bogue. 1883.