Article: Ira Aldridge: Shakespeare and minstrelsy.(19th-century African American Shakespearean actor in England)

Ira Aldridge (1807?-1867) was one of the first actors of African descent to appear on British and other European stages, and he was the first to achieve widespread fame and recognition. Born in New York, Aldridge began his theatrical career there before emigrating to England circa 1825. Although he is little known currently in the United States, he was a celebrated Shakespearean, most notably in the roles of Othello, Macbeth, Shylock, and Lear. His success brought him into contact with a diverse collection of personages that included the British tragedian Edmund Kean, the German naturalist Baron von Humboldt, "the Swedish Nightingale" Jenny Lind, Alexandre Dumas (pere), ...






Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!