Wikipedia:Today's featured list/September 4, 2015
The English comic actor Dan Leno (1860–1904) appeared in 27 theatrical productions during his 40-year career. These, together with his comic music hall acts, earned him wide popularity during the Victorian and Edwardian eras. He excelled in pantomime, particularly at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane where he appeared in the Dame role every Christmas from 1888 to his death in 1904. He began performing as a child and became a champion clog dancer. From his teen years, he was a star in music halls throughout Britain. His debut in pantomime came in 1865 in the Liverpool festive production Fortunatus; or, The Magic Wishing Cap, as a juvenile clown. His theatrical performances in pantomime and burlesque matured over the next 20 years, and he received much praise for his first performance at Drury Lane in Babes in the Wood. He starred in a further 15 pantomimes there, for which he received much acclaim and became the most popular comic performer in the theatre's history. His last pantomime at Drury Lane was Humpty Dumpty, which was staged 10 months before his death. (This list is part of a featured topic: Dan Leno on stage and record.)