Roger Kemble
Encyclopedia
Roger Kemble was an English
theatre manager
, strolling player and actor
. In 1753, he married actress Sarah "Sally" Ward (1735–1807) at Cirencester, Gloucester, and they had twelve children, who formed the great Kemble family
of 19th-century actors and actresses.
Roger Kemble was born in Hereford
. Kemble’s first entered the theatre by joining Smith's company at Canterbury in 1752. Later he acted at Birmingham under the management of John Ward
, whose daughter he would eventually marry.
Upon Ward's retirement, Roger took on his first management position by taking over the management of the theatre at Leominster
(1766). He formed a traveling theatrical company soon after his marriage to Sarah Ward, and subsequently she and their children toured with the company for the next fifteen years.
Five of Kemble's children and many of his grandchildren became famous actors. The oldest of their 12 children, Sarah Siddons
, became the most famous. She first appeared as Ariel in The Tempest with her father's company in Coventry in 1766. In 1767 the actor William Siddons joined the company whom Sarah married in 1773, returning to the stage as Mrs. Siddons.
As primarily a theatre manager, Roger Kemble never became as famous as his children, although he scored a success at the Haymarket Theatre, London, where in 1788 he appeared as Falstaff in Shakespeare’s King Henry IV and in the Miller of Mansfield.
There is plaque commemorating Kemble's Hereford birthplace (28-29 Church Street), and Kemble Road in London's Forest Hill
is named after him.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
theatre manager
Actor-manager
An actor-manager is a leading actor who sets up their own permanent theatrical company and manages the company's business and financial arrangements, sometimes taking over the management of a theatre, to perform plays of their own choice and in which they will usually star...
, strolling player and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. In 1753, he married actress Sarah "Sally" Ward (1735–1807) at Cirencester, Gloucester, and they had twelve children, who formed the great Kemble family
Kemble family
Kemble is the name of a family of English actors, all distinguished actors and actresses who reigned over the British stage for decades. The most famous were Sarah Siddons and her brother John Philip Kemble , the two eldest of the twelve children of Roger Kemble , a strolling player and manager of...
of 19th-century actors and actresses.
Roger Kemble was born in Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
. Kemble’s first entered the theatre by joining Smith's company at Canterbury in 1752. Later he acted at Birmingham under the management of John Ward
John Ward (actor)
John Ward was an English actor and theatre manager. The founder of the Warwickshire Company of Comedians – a Birmingham-based theatre company who toured throughout the West Midlands and into Wales during the mid to late eighteenth century – he was the first of the Kemble family theatrical dynasty,...
, whose daughter he would eventually marry.
Upon Ward's retirement, Roger took on his first management position by taking over the management of the theatre at Leominster
Leominster
Leominster is a market town in Herefordshire, England, located approximately north of the city of Hereford and south of Ludlow, at...
(1766). He formed a traveling theatrical company soon after his marriage to Sarah Ward, and subsequently she and their children toured with the company for the next fifteen years.
Five of Kemble's children and many of his grandchildren became famous actors. The oldest of their 12 children, Sarah Siddons
Sarah Siddons
Sarah Siddons was a Welsh actress, the best-known tragedienne of the 18th century. She was the elder sister of John Philip Kemble, Charles Kemble, Stephen Kemble, Ann Hatton and Elizabeth Whitlock, and the aunt of Fanny Kemble. She was most famous for her portrayal of the Shakespearean character,...
, became the most famous. She first appeared as Ariel in The Tempest with her father's company in Coventry in 1766. In 1767 the actor William Siddons joined the company whom Sarah married in 1773, returning to the stage as Mrs. Siddons.
As primarily a theatre manager, Roger Kemble never became as famous as his children, although he scored a success at the Haymarket Theatre, London, where in 1788 he appeared as Falstaff in Shakespeare’s King Henry IV and in the Miller of Mansfield.
There is plaque commemorating Kemble's Hereford birthplace (28-29 Church Street), and Kemble Road in London's Forest Hill
Forest Hill, London
Forest Hill is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Lewisham. It situated between Dulwich and Sydenham. The area has enjoyed extensive investment since plans to extend the East London Line to Forest Hill were unveiled in 2004....
is named after him.