Today in 1619 Richard Burbage died. He was a founding father of the Elizabethan Theater, the most famous actor of his time. But he was also an entrepreneur, owning theaters, and a painter. He was the son of James Burbage, who founded the first Theater in London. Very little is known about his early acting career, though it’s possible he was with the Earl of Leicester’s company. He is best known for his roles in Shakespeare’s plays – he acted the parts of Hamlet, Othello, Richard III, and King Lear. But he was also in plays written by other playwrights, including Ben Johnson.
He was the first celebrity actor, and was a huge draw for the theater crowds. From the period between 1580-1610 – the height of Elizabethan drama – there were only 20 roles for an actor who had over 800 lines. Edward Alleyn was the first English actor to act in a role with this many lines – in Marlowe’s Tambourine. But 13 of the 20 roles with over 800 lines were written for Burbage.
That’s your Tudor Minute for today. Remember you can dive deeper into life in 16th-century England through the Renaissance English History Podcast at englandcast.com where there are episodes on the Elizabethan Theater.
Suggested link:
Episode 046: Other Important Elizabethan Theater People Besides Shakespeare
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Heather Teysko is the creator, writer, and producer of The Renaissance English History Podcast,  one of the longest running indie history podcasts, going since 2009. She's been writing about history online for over 25 years, since her first site on Colonial American history became number one in history on Yahoo in 1998. She writes books, created the original Tudor Planner (a yearly diary filled with Tudor history) and in 2019 created the world's first Tudorcon (you can "attend" online this year!). She has been passionate about Tudor England since she first read Alison Weir's The Six Wives of Henry VIII 20 years ago, and subsequently moved to London after college to spend her time immersed in Tudor history.