Samuel Foote
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Samuel Foote was a Cornish dramatist, actor and theatre manager. He was known for his comedic acting and writing, and for turning the loss of a leg in a riding accident in 1766 to comedic opportunity.
Foote by Jean-Francois Colson, 1769
Charles Macklin as Shylock by Johann Zoffany
Scene from Taste in a painting by Robert Smirke. Lady Pentweazel, played by Foote, wore a large headdress, satirizing the elaborate headdresses of the day, with feathers that fell out throughout the play.
'Jerry Sneak' in The Mayor of Garratt. Painting by Samuel De Wilde in the Yale Center for British Art
Charles Macklin
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Charles Macklin, born as Cathal MacLochlainn, was an Irish actor and dramatist who performed extensively at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Macklin revolutionised theatre in the 18th century by introdu
Samuel Foote
…prison in 1742, and friends encouraged Foote's going onto the stage to make a living. Foote's first training for the stage came under the tutelage of Charles Macklin. By 1744, when they appeared onstage together, Macklin had made a name for himself as one of the most notable actors on the British stage, after David…
Portrait by John Opie, 1792
Macklin's memorial plaque in St Paul's in Covent Garden