Hill, G(eorge) H(andel)

Hill, G[eorge] H[andel] (1809–49), character actor. Best known as “Yankee” Hill, he was born in Boston, the son and brother of celebrated musicians, and his early career was given over to acting in minor roles and to offering recitals based on New England character sketches. With the rise in popularity of similar figures in American comedy, Hill quickly found stardom as the best Yankee interpreter of his day. Among his famous roles were Jonathan Ploughboy, Major Enoch Wheeler, Nathan Tucker, Jedediah Homebred, Hiram Dodge, and Solomon Swop. The Knickerbocker Magazine in 1838 noted, “In the exhibition of the quiet, dry humor peculiar to the Yankee, par excellence, he stands unrivaled. His acting is nature itself.” An elongated, naively cheerful face enhanced his attraction. Hill's personal behavior appears to have been quirky, and he retired from the stage on several occasions for various reasons, only to soon return, and continued to act until his death. Autobiography: Scenes from the Life of an Actor, 1853 (reissued 1969).