Richard Yates (actor)

Richard Yates (c. 1706–1796) was an English comic actor, who worked at the Haymarket Theatre and Drury Lane among others, appearing in David Garrick's King Lear. He also worked in theatre management, and set up the New Theatre in Birmingham in 1773. Both his first wife, Elizabeth Mary (maiden name unknown, died in 1753) and Mary Anne Graham (1728–1787 - married in 1756) were actresses.

Born about 1706, he played in Henry Fielding's Pasquin at the Haymarket when it was first performed. In 1737–9, at Covent Garden, he was seen in a number of parts. On 4 September 1739 he appeared at Drury Lane as Jeremy in Love for Love, and played other comic parts. At Goodman's Fields he appeared on 18 October 1740 as Antonio in Venice Preserved, playing further parts during the season. For his benefit and that of Mrs. Elizabeth Yates, his first wife (about whom little is known) who played at this time small parts such as Emilia in The Winter's Tale, and was the Duchess of York on David Garrick's first appearance on the stage, he attempted Lovegold in The Miser, in the style of Benjamin Griffin.

Richard Yates is believed to have been the first Autolycus and Clown in All's well that ends well since 1660. He was on 9 November 1741 the original Mrs. Jewkes in James Dance's stage adaptation of the novel Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded, and on 30 November the original Dick in Garrick's Lying Valet, subsequently taking Sharp in the same piece. On 18 September 1742 he reappeared at Drury Lane, where he remained until 1767. He was the original Motley in The Astrologer by James Ralph on 3 April 1744; Sir Robert Belmont in Edward Moore's The Foundling, 13 February 1748; Melchior in Moore's Gil Blas, 2 February 1751; and Puff in Samuel Foote's Taste, 11 January 1752.

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