Jack Langrishe
| John Sewell Folds Jr. | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
September 24, 1825 Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | December 12, 1895 (aged 70) Wardner, Idaho |
| Occupation | actor, comedian, impresario |
John S. "Jack" Langrishe (September 24, 1825 - December 12, 1895), popularly known as the "Comedian of the Frontier", was an actor and impresario who travelled extensively throughout the American West and later in life became one of the first State Senators of Idaho.
Langrishe was born John Sewell Folds Jr. in Dublin, Ireland on September 24, 1825. His father ran a print shop and Folds learned how to set type at a young age. A fire at his father's printing plant forced the family into bankruptcy and they immigrated to the United States. Landing in Boston on September 19, 1845, Fields sought to make his living in America as an actor.
He made his way to New York City and worked for Horace Greeley as a reporter and typesetter for the New York Tribune. Because of Greeley's dislike of the theater, Folds adopted the Langrishe stage name, taking the surname from that of a judge and poiceman that he knew in Ireland.
Langrishe was known to appear on stage at least once in his native Ireland, but made his New York acting debut on December 8, 1845 at the Chatham Theater in a play called The Irish Attorney as a character named Pierce O'Hara.
In 1847 he left New York City to become a full-time actor, comedian and magician. Two years later in 1849 he married fellow actor Jeannette Allen in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, both performed in J.H. Howell's Theatre company in Erie, Pennsylvania. By 1850 Langrishe was performing with his own troupe known as "Langrishe and Company" throughout New York, Ohio and southeastern Canada.
Langrishe and Company travelled westward in 1851, crossing Lake Michigan to play in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Performances followed in Chicago, Illinois and Kansas City, Missouri; his troupe continued to draw favorable reviews in the Midwest as late as 1859 until the troupe began running out of money due to salaries and extensive wardrobes.
Arriving in Central City, Colorado in 1860, Langrishe and Company performed to sold out shows in mining towns as opposed to established cities.
After close to a decade of performing in Colorado, the Langrishes made their way to Helena, Montana in 1870 where they built the Langrishe Opera House.
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Wikipedia