Herbert Campbell

Herbert Campbell (22 December 1844 – 19 July 1904) born Herbert Edward Story was an English comedian and actor who appeared in music hall, Victorian burlesques and musical comedies during the Victorian era. He was famous for starring, for forty years, in the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane's annual Christmas pantomimes, predominantly as a dame.

Born in Lambeth, Campbell started his performing career appearing in the amateur nigger band and quickly toured London's music hall's during the early 1860s. He decided to leave after a few years and adopted the stage name Herbert Campbell. He joined the minstrel performers Harman and Elston and the trio became known as Harmon, Campbell and Elston. In 1868, Campbell decided to pursue a solo career as a comic vocalist and quickly established himself as a popular music hall comedian.

In 1871 he made his first pantomime appearance in King Winter at the Theatre Royal, Liverpool and became a leading pantomime dame over the next decade. In 1882 he formed a successful association with the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, where he appeared alongside Dan Leno in the annual Christmas pantomime, every year until his death in 1904 at age 59.

Campbell was born in Lambeth to Henry George Story and his wife Hanna Fisher and was educated in west London. Campbell left school at sixteen and worked as an office boy for Murdo Young McLean, a journalist at The Sun newspaper in London. A few years later, he worked in a gun factory at Woolwich where he formed an amateur nigger band with colleagues. The idea for this was inspired by a performance of Raynor's original Christy Minstrels show which Campbell had seen during a works outing. The band soon toured music hall's throughout the south east of London and raised money for charities as a result. During the early 1860s he changed his stage name to Campbell and after a less than successful performance with the band, he joined the minstrel performers Harman and Elston in their act Harmon, Campbell and Elston.

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