Wallack, Henry (John)

Wallack, Henry [John] 1790–1870), actor. The eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. William Wallack, who were popular performers in London, he came to America in 1819 and made his debut at Baltimore's Holliday Street Theatre. After time there and at Philadelphia's Chestnut Street Theatre, he moved to New York in 1821, performing at the Anthony Street Theatre, the Chatham Garden Theatre, and the Bowery Theatre, for a time attempting unsuccessfully to manage the former. After some years back in England, Wallack returned in 1837 to manage the National Theatre for his brother James Wallack. When the Broadway Theatre opened in 1847 with The School for Scandal, he played Sir Peter Teazle, and he continued to perform, with occasional sojourns to London, until 1854, when he marked his farewell by playing Sir John Falstaff. He was a versatile, accomplished actor, although he was never identified with any special roles and never won the fame accorded to other members of the family.