William Hart (actor)
Encyclopedia
William Hart was an English actor during the reign of Charles I
and purportedly the father of the Restoration actor Charles Hart
.
parish registers identify Hart as a "Weaver als[o] player", apparently having either turned to acting after being a weaver or alternately working in both occupations. A judgement for debt shows that he received money from the King's Men
in January 1630, presumably for acting. He is named in the licence granted to King's Revels Men
on 28 November 1634. By 12 January 1636 he was back with the King's Men at the Blackfriars Theatre
, and he is named on two other lists of King's Men employees, the last dated 12 January 1637.
He was named in a 1661 lawsuit as being an actor in London in 1648.
He had three documented children, all baptised in St Giles: Anne, baptised 16 March 1636; Winefred, baptised 29 July 1638 and buried 19 July 1639; and Mary, buried 23 Nov. 1639. He was buried at St Giles on 9 November 1650.
, Shakespeare's sister, but there is no evidence to support the identification, and Shakespeare's nephew died a bachelor and was buried at Stratford-upon-Avon 29 March, 1639.
Hart is also taken to be the father of the acclaimed Restoration actor Charles Hart
, largely on the evidence that the two were members of the King's Men.
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
and purportedly the father of the Restoration actor Charles Hart
Charles Hart (17th-century actor)
Charles Hart was a prominent British Restoration actor.A Charles Hart was christened on 11 December 1625, in the parish of St. Giles Cripplegate, in London. It is not absolutely certain that this was the actor, though the name was not common at the time...
.
Career
St GilesSt Giles, London
St Giles is a district of London, England. It is the location of the church of St Giles in the Fields, the Phoenix Garden and St Giles Circus. It is located at the southern tip of the London Borough of Camden and is part of the Midtown business improvement district.The combined parishes of St...
parish registers identify Hart as a "Weaver als[o] player", apparently having either turned to acting after being a weaver or alternately working in both occupations. A judgement for debt shows that he received money from the King's Men
King's Men (playing company)
The King's Men was the company of actors to which William Shakespeare belonged through most of his career. Formerly known as The Lord Chamberlain's Men during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, it became The King's Men in 1603 when King James ascended the throne and became the company's patron.The...
in January 1630, presumably for acting. He is named in the licence granted to King's Revels Men
King's Revels Men
The King's Revels Men or King's Revels Company was a playing company or troupe of actors in seventeenth-century England. In the confusing theatre nomenclature of that era, it is sometimes called the second King's Revels Company, to distinguish it from an earlier troupe with the same title that was...
on 28 November 1634. By 12 January 1636 he was back with the King's Men at the Blackfriars Theatre
Blackfriars Theatre
Blackfriars Theatre was the name of a theatre in the Blackfriars district of the City of London during the Renaissance. The theatre began as a venue for child actors associated with the Queen's chapel choirs; in this function, the theatre hosted some of the most innovative drama of Elizabeth and...
, and he is named on two other lists of King's Men employees, the last dated 12 January 1637.
He was named in a 1661 lawsuit as being an actor in London in 1648.
He had three documented children, all baptised in St Giles: Anne, baptised 16 March 1636; Winefred, baptised 29 July 1638 and buried 19 July 1639; and Mary, buried 23 Nov. 1639. He was buried at St Giles on 9 November 1650.
Speculations
During the 19th century William Hart was assumed to be the son of Joan HartJoan Shakespeare
Joan Shakespeare was the sister of William Shakespeare.Joan was Shakespeare's younger sister, named after her parents' deceased first-born child...
, Shakespeare's sister, but there is no evidence to support the identification, and Shakespeare's nephew died a bachelor and was buried at Stratford-upon-Avon 29 March, 1639.
Hart is also taken to be the father of the acclaimed Restoration actor Charles Hart
Charles Hart (17th-century actor)
Charles Hart was a prominent British Restoration actor.A Charles Hart was christened on 11 December 1625, in the parish of St. Giles Cripplegate, in London. It is not absolutely certain that this was the actor, though the name was not common at the time...
, largely on the evidence that the two were members of the King's Men.