Historic Photo Gallery: 1850 to 1899
1857
Edwin Booth, son of renowned actor Junius Brutus Booth, made his Walnut debut in June 1857.
Among his roles in that two week period, he performed three tragic parts identified with
his father—
Othello, Richard III and
King Lear. Still a young actor,
he suffered by comparison to the established Junius. Edwin Booth went on to become one of
America's greatest and most influential stage actors. Sometimes called
"The Hamlet of the 19th Century," he developed a quiet and subtle acting style,
suitable for his signature role as the Prince of Denmark and other Shakespearian tragedies.
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