Garrick, George, 1723-1779

George Garrick (1717-1779) was an English actor, playwright, and theater manager who appeared in several amateur theatricals before purchasing Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, with a friend and co-worker James Lucy. During this ownership the theater rose to prominence as one of the leading theaters in Europe. He was never noted as a great playwright, but gained positive review in bringing Shakespeare to contemporary audiences. He died three years after retiring at Drury Lane, and three years after that, he was given a lavish public funeral at Westminster Abbey and was laid in the Poet's Corner.

From the guide to the Shakespears Jubilee ticket, undated, (Ohio University)

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