Charles Fisher (1816 – June 11, 1891) was an American stage actor and comedian.[1][2][3] Born to a prolific theatrical family from Norfolk, England, Fisher went on to find success as an actor in different parts of England, and then from 1852 onwards in New York City where he worked as a highly regarded performer for almost 40 years in the companies of William E. Burton, Laura Keene, James William Walluck, and Augustin Daly.[1][4]
Fisher was born in Suffolk, England to a family of actors and performers who ran a travelling theatre company, Norfolk and Suffolk Company of Comedians (1792-1844), established by Fisher's grandfather David Fisher (I). The family owned, managed and performed in 13 theatres across Norfolk and Suffolk, with family members forming the majority of the cast and crew.[6]
His parents, Jane Corby and Charles Fisher (1792–1869), married in 1814 and went on to have three children, Julia (1815-1892), Charles, and Frederick (b. 1820). His mother was an actor with the family, and Charles Snr. was an instrumentalist who later took on the management of the company following the death of David Fisher (I).[7][6][8][9][Note 1] Julia went on to be an actor, and Frederick a scenic painter.[8]
After working for the family, he made his London debut in 1844 at the Princess's Theatre, spending the next seven years working in different parts of England.[3]
In 1861 he joined the company of James William Wallack at Wallack's Theatre until 1872. In 1863 he played Matthew Leigh in the original run of one of Wallack's most successful plays, Rosedale; or, the Rifle Ball.[12] In 1868 he starred in The Lottery of Life as Mordie Solomons. In 1870 he played Colonel Crafton in Charles Gayler's Fritz, Our Cousin German in 1870.[4]
Augustin Daly's company
In 1872 he joined Augustin Daly's company where he remained until his retirement in 1890 working on Daly's own plays, as well as classics such as Shakespeare.[4][13] In 1875 he played Matthew Standish in Daly's Pique, the play was popular with audiences and financially successful but critical response varied from "highly laudatory puff pieces to accusations of excessive sentiment and irritating sensationalism".[14]
It was at this time that in 1876 he married his second wife, the significantly younger Josephine H. Shaw (d.1907), stage name Josephine Boone, from Baltimore, who was a fellow actor in Daly's company.[15][16][17][18]
Fisher died at his home in New York City on 11 June 1891, aged 75, following a case of erysipelas earlier in the year.[19]
His obituary in The New York Times described him as
"a man of commanding presence, tall, erect, broad-shouldered. His voice, in his young days, was rich and strong. In his prime he invariably satisfied the eye exactly as the heroes of the romantic drama. In his later years he was seen to the best advantage in eccentric comedy parts. He was, throughout his career, however, a "good all-around actor", never approaching greatness, lacking the temperament and intellectual force needed in such a character as Falstaff, but a player of sound methods and good natural qualifications."[1]
His great-granddaughters were the actresses Blanche Ring, Frances Ring and Julie Ring who appeared on the Boston Museum Theatre stage as children. His great-grandson was Cyril Ring (1892-1967) a prolific character actor in Hollywood films.[citation needed]
Notes
^Some sources, such Charles Fisher's obituary in the New York Times erroneously state that he was the son – not nephew – of David Fisher (I).
^ abcdefgHutton, Lawrence (1896). McKay, Frederic Edward; Wingate, Charles E.L. (eds.). Famous American actors of to-day;. New York: T.Y. Crowell. pp. 204–220. Archived from the original on 2022-07-29. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
^ ab"Death of Mr Charles Fisher". Ipswich Journal. Ipswich, Suffolk, England. 1 May 1869. p. 8. Archived from the original on 29 July 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
^Adams, William Davenport (1904). A Dictionary of the Drama. Vol. I. London: Chatto & Windus. pp. 518–519.