DeWolf Hopper
| DeWolf Hopper | |
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DeWolf Hopper
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| Born |
William De Wolf Hopper March 30, 1858 New York City, New York |
| Died | September 23, 1935 (aged 77) New York City, New York |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Resting place | Green-Wood Cemetery |
| Occupation | Actor, comedian, singer |
| Years active | 1878–1935 |
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William DeWolf Hopper (March 30, 1858 – September 23, 1935) was an American actor, singer, comedian, and theatrical producer. Although a star of the musical theater, he was best known for performing the popular baseball poem Casey at the Bat.
Hopper was born in New York City, the son of John Hopper (born 1815) and Rosalie De Wolf (born 1827). His father was a wealthy Quaker lawyer and his mother came from a noted Colonial family. Though his parents insisted he become a lawyer, Hopper did not enjoy that profession.
He made his stage debut in New Haven, Connecticut, October 2, 1878. Originally, he wanted to be a serious actor, but at 6' 5" (196 cm) and 230 pounds, he was too large for most dramatic roles. He had a loud bass singing voice, however, and made his mark in musicals, beginning in Harrigan and Hart's company. He achieved the status of leading man in The Black Hussar (1885) and appeared in the hit Erminie in 1887. Eventually, he starred in more than thirty Broadway musicals, including Castles in the Air (1890), Wang (1891), Panjandrum (1893), and John Philip Sousa's El Capitan (1896). The role that he remembered with greatest pleasure was Old Bill in The Better 'Ole (1919).
Known for his comic talents, Hopper popularized many comic songs and appeared in a number of Gilbert and Sullivan comic "patter" roles from 1911 to 1915, including The Mikado, Patience, and H.M.S. Pinafore.
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