Restoration Acting and Other Business - The Lives of Henry Harris

How did actors of the late seventeenth century supplement their earnings? And what were the relationships between their other business and their acting? This Element focuses on the diverse career of Henry Harris, a leading member of the Duke's Company between 1661 and 1682, and co-manager of the company for a decade. A skilled engraver, Harris also held appointments at the Royal Mint and as Yeoman of the Revels at court, all against the background of a fragmented private life. Drawing on recently discovered manuscript material, this is the first full-length study of a major performer of the Restoration period.

List of contents

1. The portfolio profession; 2. Harris family matters; 3. In the duke's company; 4. Petitioning for seals; 5. Managing; 6. Marital woes; 7. Last years; List of abbreviations of frequently cited sources; Appendix: Checklist of Harris's known roles; Bibliography.

Product details

• Authors: David Roberts, David (Birmingham City University) Roberts
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 31.01.2026
• EAN: 9781009542180
• ISBN: 978-1-0-0954218-0
• No. of pages: 75
• Series: Elements in Eighteenth-Century Connections
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Art > Theatre, ballet; Social & cultural history, Individual actors & performers, Biography: arts & entertainment, Theatre Studies, Biography: arts and entertainment, Individual actors and performers, Plays, Playscripts, History of Performing Arts, Classic plays / drama