EncyclopediaBurbage, Richard
Burbage, Richard (bûr'bij) [key], 1567?–1619, first great English actor. The leading tragedian of the Chamberlain's Men, he originated the title roles in Shakespeare's Hamlet, Lear, Othello, and Richard III. He may also have appeared in many of the first productions of plays by Thomas Kyd, Beaumont and Fletcher, Ben Jonson, and John Webster. By contemporary standards, his acting style was considered realistic. Burbage's father, James Burbage, had built the first permanent theater in London in 1576, called the Theatre. In 1598 the building was removed to Bankside and set up as the Globe Theatre by Richard's brother, Cuthbert, on the death of their father. The brothers also inherited shares in the Blackfriars Theatre, built by their father in 1596, which became the winter home of the company.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
More on Richard Burbage from Infoplease:
- Burbage: meaning and definitions - Burbage: Definition and Pronunciation
- Chamberlain's Men - Chamberlain's Men Chamberlain's Men, Elizabethan theatrical company for which Shakespeare, ...
- Edward Alleyn - Alleyn, Edward Alleyn, Edward , 1566–1626, English actor. He was the foremost member of the ...
- Roscius - Roscius A first-rate actor; so called from the Roman Roscius, unrivalled for his grace of action, ...
