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| D. Garrick (1717-1779) |
David Garrick was an English actor, born in Hereford. His grandfather, David Garric, was a French refugee, his father, Peter Garrick, a captain in the army. He gave proof of his dramatic ability when only 12 years of age by inducing his schoolfellows to act in the Recruiting Officer, in which he him-self took the part of Sergeant Kite. After working for a time with his uncle, a Lisbon wine merchant, Garrick entered the academy of Samuel Johnson. In 1737 he accompanied Johnson to London, where he opened a wineshop. but he soon left for a stage career. After many successful appearances at Drury Lane, Covent Garden, and in Dublin, he became manager of Drury Lane Theatre in 1747 and set about improving methods of stage production. His most important innovation was seating his audience in the main body of the house. Before this, the privileged class occupied the stage, apart from the rest. He denounced the old declamatory type of speech then in vogue and introduced natural speech. Garrick was regarded as the outstanding stage leader of his time, both in acting and producing. He was particularly famous as a Shakespearean actor.
