John Pritt Harley
| John Pritt Harley | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 5 March 1786 |
| Died | 22 August 1858 (aged 72) London |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Actor |
John Pritt Harley (February 1786 – 22 August 1858) was an English actor known for his comic acting and singing.
Harley was the son of John Harley, a draper and silk mercer, and his wife Elizabeth. He was baptised in the parish church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London, on 5 March 1786. At the age of fifteen, he was apprenticed to a linendraper in Ludgate Hill. While there, he befriended William Oxberry, who later became a well-known actor. Together, they appeared in 1802 in amateur theatricals at the Berwick Street private theatre. Harley was next employed as a clerk to Windus & Holloway, attorneys, in Chancery Lane.
In 1806, and following years he acted in provincial theatres in England. At Southend, where he remained for some time, he acquired thorough training in his profession. He became popular for his comic singing, and being extremely thin, he became known as ‘Fat Jack.’ From 1812 to 1814 he was in the north of England. After this, obtaining an engagement from Samuel John Arnold, he came to London and made his first public appearance there on 15 July 1815 at the English Opera House as Marcelli in The Devil's Bridge. His reception was favourable, and in Mingle, Leatherhead, Rattle, and Pedrillo he increased his reputation as an actor and singer.
On 16 September 1815, Harley first appeared at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, as Lissardo in The Wonder. When John Bannister retired from the stage, Harley succeeded to his parts and created the new roles that would have fallen to Bannister. He played the comic heroes of all the operas. His voice was a counter-tenor, and he was known as a good musician, able to execute cadenzas with grace and effect. In 1816, when Every Man in his Humour was revived, starring Edmund Kean as Kitely, Harley played Bobadil, receiving enthusiastic notices. He also gained a reputation for his humorous portrayal of the Shakespearean clowns. Bannister, with whom he was friendly, when dying in 1836, gave him his Garrick mourning ring and his Shakespearean jubilee medal. Harley remained for twenty years at Drury Lane, with occasional summer excursions to the provinces and engagements at the Lyceum Theatre, where he for some time was stage-manager.
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