Henslowe, Philip

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Philip Henslowe (hĕnz´lō), c.1550–1616, English businessman and theatrical manager. Although he managed the Rose Theatre, Bankside, London, and the Fortune Theatre, Cripplegate, London, he is best remembered for his association with his son-in-law Edward Alleyn and the Admiral's Men. He employed a number of dramatists, including Dekker, Chapman, Drayton, and Thomas Heywood. An energetic businessman, he was interested in theater for its profitability. His diary (ed. with supplementary material by R. A. Foakes and R. T. Rickert, 1961) contains valuable information on the Elizabethan stage.