Brougham, John, 1810-1880

American actor and dramatist.

Actor, playwright and theater manager, London and New York.

John Brougham was an actor and dramatist who brought a great variety of theatre to the stage: farces, burlesques, curtain pieces, adaptations of novels and stories. Born in Ireland, he went to London in 1830, became a member of Madame Vestris's company, and later performed both at the Olympic and Covent Garden theaters. In 1840 he managed the London Lyceum and wrote several plays for its repertoire. He began his American career as an actor in 1842. He was one of the most prolific playwrights of the nineteenth century, having written 126 dramatic pieces during his thirty-three-year career in the United States. Financial predicaments plagued Brougham all his life, particularly in managerial situations. He was completely impoverished by 1878 when his friends conducted a testimonial benefit at the Academy of Music to raise funds of over $10,000 for an annual annuity.