Charles Murray (actor, 1754–1821)

Charles Murray (1754–1821) was a Scottish actor and dramatist.

The son of Sir John Murray of Broughton, he was born at Cheshunt in Hertfordshire. He spent some time in France, studied pharmacy and surgery in London, and went surgeon's mate on some Mediterranean voyages.

After playing as an amateur in Liverpool Murray went, with an introduction from Younger, the theatre manager there, to Tate Wilkinson of the York circuit. He made his first professional stage appearance at York, under the name of Raymur, and playing Carlos in Love makes a Man, or the Fop's Fortune (Colley Cibber). A quarrel in a tavern in Wakefield in September 1776 lost him his position.

After further time at sea Murray acted under his own name with Griffiths at Norwich. On 8 October 1785, as Sir Giles Overreach in A New Way to pay Old Debts, he made his first appearance in Bath. Here he remained until 1796, playing a great variety of parts. His wife Mrs. Murray occasionally played with him, and on 1 July 1793, for the benefit of her father and of her mother, who played Queen Elinor, his young daughter Harriet Murray made her first stage appearance as Prince Arthur. She subsequently played Titania, and on Mrs. Murray's final benefit in Bath on 19 May 1796, Fine Lady in David Garrick's Lethe. On this occasion Murray spoke a farewell address.

Murray came to Covent Garden with a good reputation; his first appearance in London took place on 30 September as Shylock, with, it is said, Bagatelle in The Poor Soldier (John O'Keeffe and William Shield). He was found better suited for secondary parts. For his benefit, on 12 May 1798, he was Polixenes in The Winter's Tale, Harriet Murray making, as Perdita, her first appearance in London. He was on 11 October 1798 the original Baron Wildenhaim in Elizabeth Inchbald's Lovers' Vows. Murray's last appearance at Covent Garden appears to have been on 17 July 1817 as Brabantio to the Othello of Charles Mayne Young, the Iago of Junius Brutus Booth, and the Desdemona of Elizabeth O'Neill.

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