Dion Boucicault

Dion Boucicault
Dion Boucicault, c. 1862
Born	Dionysius Lardner Boursiquot (1820-12-26)26 December 1820 Dublin, Ireland
Died	18 September 1890(1890-09-18) (aged 69) New York City, United States
Resting place	Mount Hope Cemetery, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, United States
Occupation	Playwright, actor
Language	English
Nationality	Irish
Ethnicity	Irish
Alma mater	University of London
Notable works	London Assurance, The Octoroon, The Colleen Bawn, The Shaughraun
Spouse	Anne Guiot (m.1845–d.1845) Agnes Kelly Robertson (m.1853–d.1916; marriage dissolved 1888) Josephine Louise Thorndyke (m.1885–1890; his death) (bigamously)
Children	Dion William Boucicault(1855–76) Eva Boucicault (1857–1909) Dionysius George Boucicault Jr. (1859–1929) Patrice Boucicault (1862 – 1890) Nina Boucicault (1867–1950) Aubrey Boucicault (1868–1913)
Relatives	Dionysius Lardner (putative father) Anne Darley (mother) George Darley (uncle)

Dionysius Lardner Boursiquot (26 December 1820 (or 1822) – 18 September 1890), commonly known as Dion Boucicault (Dee-on Boo-se-koh), was an Irish actor and playwright famed for his melodramas. By the later part of the 19th century, Boucicault had become known on both sides of the Atlantic as one of the most successful actor-playwright-managers then in the English-speaking theatre. The New York Times heralded him in his obituary as "the most conspicuous English dramatist of the 19th century."

Dionysius Lardner Boursiquot was born and educated in Dublin where he lived on Gardiner Street. His mother was Anne Darley, sister of the poet and mathematician George Darley. The Darleys were an important Dublin family influential in many fields and related to the Guinnesses by marriage. Anne was married to Samuel Smith Boursiquot, of Huguenot ancestry, but the identity of the boy's father is questionable. He was probably Dionysius Lardner, a lodger at his mother's house at a time when she was recently separated from her husband, and who supported Dion financially until about 1840. Dion went to London and was enrolled at University College School at the age of 13 and also studied for a year at the University of London.

After a year in London, Boursiquot/Boucicault left to pursue acting in Cheltenham. The young actor used the stage name Lee Morton. He joined William Charles Macready and made his first appearance upon the stage with Benjamin Webster at Bristol, England. Soon afterwards he began to write plays, occasionally in conjunction.

His first play, A Legend of the Devil's Dyke, opened in Brighton in 1838. Three years later he found immediate success as a dramatist with London Assurance. Produced at Covent Garden on 4 March 1841, its cast included such well-known actors as Charles Mathews, William Farren, Mrs Nesbitt and Madame Vestris.