Clarke, John Sleeper

Clarke, John Sleeper (1833–99), comic actor. A native of Baltimore, the tiny, elfin‐faced comedian made his amateur debut in Belair, Maryland, with his future brother‐in‐law, Edwin Booth. His first professional appearance was at the Howard Athenaeum in Boston in 1851 as Frank Hardy in Paul Pry. He then spent several seasons at Philadelphia's Chestnut Street Theatre before making his New York bow as Diggory in The Spectre Bridegroom (1855). Back in Philadelphia, Clarke performed at the Arch Street Theatre and later took over its management with William Wheatley. His comic talents were recognized when he returned to New York in 1861 to play Jeremiah Beetle in Babes in the Wood, with the Times hailing him as “the best eccentric comedian now on the New York stage.” His comic repertory, like Booth's tragic one, consisted largely of old favorites. Among his best parts were Dromio, Sam Scudder in The Octoroon, the title role in Paul Pry, and Timothy Toodle in The Toodles. The Tribune wrote of his interpretation, “His inebriety comes unconsciously out in the unsteadiness of the head, the loppiness of the neck, the thickness of the voice, the spasmodic attempt to conceal the betraying hiccup.” In 1864 he became co‐manager of the Winter Garden with Booth. However, after his brother‐in‐law John Wilkes Booth assassinated Lincoln and Clarke was temporarily jailed with other members of the family, he left for England, where he spent the remainder of his career, returning occasionally for a handful of appearances.