Augustus Harris

This article is about the son (1852–1896). For the father (1825–1873), see Augustus Glossop Harris.

Sir Augustus Harris
Born	Augustus Henry Glossop Harris 18 March 1852(1852-03-18) Paris, France
Died	22 June 1896(1896-06-22) (aged 44) Folkestone, England
Occupation	Actor, impresario, dramatist
Years active	1873–1896
Spouse	Florence Edgcumbe (1881–1896)

Sir Augustus Henry Glossop Harris (18 March 1852 – 22 June 1896), was a British actor, impresario, and dramatist.

Early life

Harris was born in Paris, France, the son of Augustus Glossop Harris (1825–1873), who was also a dramatist, and his wife, née Maria Ann Bone, a theatrical costumier. He spent his childhood in London, England, returning to Paris for schooling at age 12.

Career

From 1879, Harris was manager of the Drury Lane Theatre in London, and was nicknamed the "Father of Modern Pantomime" and "Augustus Druriolanus". He introduced Jean de Reszke, Nellie Melba, Emma Eames, and Emma Calvé. His first panto was 'Bluebeard'; the next one 'Forty Thieves'.

Plays

• The World, co-written with Paul John Meritt (1843/4–1895) and Henry Pettitt, was Harris's first production, performed at Drury Lane, 1880
• Youth, co-written with Meritt, 1881
• Pluck: A Story of ₤50,000, co-written with Pettitt, produced at Drury Lane, 1882
• A Sailor and His Lass, co-written with Robert Williams Buchanan, 1883
• Human Nature, co-written with Pettitt, 1885
• A Run of Luck, co-written with Pettitt, 1886
• Pleasure, co-written with Meritt, 1887
• The Spanish Armada, co-written with Henry Hamilton, 1888
• The Royal Oak', co-written with Hamilton, 1889, was the basis of a 1923 silent film of the same name.
• A Million of Money, co-written with Pettitt, performed at Drury Lane, 1890
• A Life of Pleasure, co-written with Pettitt, 1893
• Dick Whittington, co-written with Cecil Raleigh and Hamilton
• Robinson Crusoe, 1893
• Cheer, Boys, Cheer, co-written with Raleigh and Hamilton, 1895
• The Little Genius, adaptation from the German with Arthur Sturgess
• The Soudan, co-written with Pettitt
• The Derby Winner, co-written with Hamilton and Raleigh, 1895, was produced in the United States under the title The Sporting Duchess. It was the basis of silent films of the same names in 1915 and 1923
• Jack and the beanstalk, or, Harlequin and the midwinter night's dream, co-written with Harry Nicholls
• The Opera Cloak, adaptation from the French with L. D. Powles
• A Puzzled Painter, co-written with Francis Clement Philips, was published after his death.
• The Prodigal Daughter, co-written with Pettitt, produced at Drury Lane, 1892
• Burmah, co-written with Pettitt, produced on Broadway in 1896

Later life

Funerary monument, Brompton Cemetery, London

Harris took an interest in politics, and became a member of the London County Council in 1890, representing the Strand division. He was appointed a sheriff in 1891 and deputy lieutenant of the city of London. He was knighted in 1891 and was a chairman of the Eccentric Club.

He died at Folkestone, England in 1896 and is buried in Brompton Cemetery, London.

Personal life

On November 9, 1881, he married Florence Edgcumbe Rendle at St Luke's Church, Redcliffe Gardens. The bride was given away by her brother, Mr. Francis Rendle. The wedding was strictly a private one and they then went to Paris by the ten o'clock express. After the death of Sir Augustus she married Edward O'Connor Terry on 24 October 1904 at Barnes, where she later lived. She died on 5 September 1914.

Legacy

Harris is commemorated at the Drury Lane Theatre with a publicly funded memorial fountain featuring masonic symbols (he was a freemason).

References

• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

External links

• Works by Augustus Harris at Project Gutenberg
• Augustus Harris at the Internet Movie Database
• Augustus Harris at the Internet Broadway Database
• Portrait
• Biography at the Jewish Encyclopedia
• Augustus Harris at Find a Grave
• Frederic, Harold (5 July 1896). "Harris was all manager" (PDF). The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9C0DE0D71730E033A25756C0A9619C94679ED7CF.