Woffington, Peg [ Margaret Woffington] (
c.1718–60), Dublin-born actress. She was engaged at the age of 12 by Mme Violante, a famous rope-dancer, to play in a children's company, being seen among other parts as Polly in
Gay's The Beggar's Opera. In 1732 she made her first appearance in London in the same work, but as Macheath, and then returned to Dublin, where she eventually joined the company at the Smock Alley Theatre. There she played a wide range of parts, including the one in which she was to become famous, Sir Harry Wildair in
Farquhar's The Constant Couple, in which she was first seen in 1740. Later the same year she was engaged by John
Rich for
Covent Garden, where she played Sir Harry with such spirit and elegance that for a long time no male actor dared attempt the part. A year later she was at
Drury Lane, making her first appearance in another
male impersonation, Silvia in Farquhar's
The Recruiting Officer, and from then on divided most of her time between the two theatres. Her naturally harsh voice rendered her unfit for tragedy, but in comedy she was outstanding, being much admired as Millamant in
Congreve's The Way of the World and as Lady Townly and Lady Betty Modish in Colley
Cibber's The Provok'd Husband and
The Careless Husband. She was the most beautiful and least vain actress of her day, but her good nature did not extend to her fellow actresses and she was constantly at odds with Kitty
Clive, Theophilus Cibber's wife Susanna, and George Anne
Bellamy. For some years she was the mistress of
Garrick, who wrote for her the charming song ‘My Lovely Peggy’, and played opposite him both in London and in Dublin, where from 1752 to 1754 she appeared triumphantly in many of her most famous roles. She returned to Covent Garden at the end of 1754 as Maria in Cibber's
The Non-Juror with her usual success, though she suffered somewhat from the rising popularity of Mrs Bellamy. The last male part she played was Lothario in
Rowe's The Fair Penitent, and she was also seen as Lady Randolph in
Home's Douglas when it was first seen in London in 1757, with Spranger
Barry as Young Norval. She made her last appearance as Rosalind in
As You Like It in 1757, being taken ill at the beginning of the epilogue. She lingered on for three years and gave herself to good works, endowing almshouses at Teddington where she died. She is the subject of the play
Masks and Faces (1852) by Tom
Taylor and Charles
Reade.
