Forrest, Edwin

Forrest, Edwin (1806–72), actor. Generally acknowledged as the first grand tragedian of the American stage, Forrest was born in Philadelphia to the impoverished, runaway son of a Scottish squire and the daughter of middle‐class German immigrants. His theatrical debut came about by accident in 1817 when the manager of the Southwark Theatre, noting his attractiveness, asked him to substitute for an ailing actress in the small role of the odalisque Rosina in Rudolph; or, The Robber of Calabria. The experience thrilled him, and though he had little formal education he studied elocution and organized a Thespian Club. His real debut was as Norval in Douglas at the Walnut Street Theatre in 1820. He then spent the next several seasons touring what was called the Western circuit (western Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Kentucky) before performing in New Orleans. During this time he first performed many of the roles for which he would become famous, including Damon in Damon and Pythias, Jaffier in Venice Preserved, Tell in William Tell, and the Indian chief in She Would Be a Soldier. His New York debut was as Othello in 1826 at the Park Theatre, and he repeated his performance at the Bowery Theatre. Both playhouses were to figure importantly in his career. What critics and playgoers saw was a dark‐haired, sardonically handsome man of noticeably muscular build (he always favored roles that allowed him to display his arms and legs) who stood five feet ten inches tall and had a deep, stentorian voice, which he sometimes employed with a crude vigor. Implicit in his appearance and acting were the seeds of class differences that would beset his career. From the start Forrest's appeal was to the mass of playgoers, the more genteel members of the audience often balking at what they perceived as his sometimes vulgar display of physique and his unlettered readings. In 1828 he offered prizes for new American plays, preferably on American themes. First prize went to John Augustus Stone for Metamora, which was soon one of Forrest's most popular vehicles. Other winners included Richard Penn Smith's Caius Marius; three plays by Robert Montgomery Bird: The Gladiator, Oralloossa, and The Broker of Bogota; and Robert T. Conrad's Jack Cade. The well‐intentioned contest also added to the actor's increasingly questionable personal reputation, for he was accused of not paying money owed to several of the playwrights. Forrest then added a number of major roles to his repertory, including the title parts of King Lear, Hamlet, Macbeth, and Virginius. His career may be said to have peaked in the late 1840s, after which two incidents further tarnished his reputation. In 1849 his rivalry with the English actor William Macready came to a head in the bloody Astor Place Riots, in which Forrest almost certainly had a hand. In 1851 he and his wife were divorced after each had noisily (and probably accurately) accused the other of infidelity. Thereafter, his popularity began to wane, although he still retained a large and vocal following, especially in the upper reaches of theatres. But increasing age, a sameness in repertory, as well as new faces and newer styles of performing also militated against the actor. Loss of favor embittered Forrest, but he continued to play until shortly before his death. William Winter called Forrest a “vast animal, bewildered by a grain of genius,” who was personally an “utterly selfish” man. But while he was reluctant to “canonize” Forrest, Winter concluded, “As an actor Forrest, at his best, was remarkable for iron repose, perfect precision of method, immense physical force, capacity for leonine banter, fiery ferocity and occasional felicity of elocution.” Biography: Edwin Forrest: First Star of the American Stage, Richard Moody, 1960.