William Dowton
| William Dowton | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
25 April 1764 Exeter |
| Died | 19 April 1851 (aged 86) Brixton, Surrey |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1781 – 1840 |
| Spouse(s) | S. Baker |
William Dowton (1764–1851) was a British actor.
Dowton, the son of an innkeeper and grocer at Exeter, was born in that city on 25 April 1764. At an early age he worked with a marble cutter, but in 1780 was articled to an architect. During his apprenticeship he occasionally performed at a private theatre in Exeter, when the applause he obtained prompted him to run away from home and join a company of strolling players at Ashburton, where, in 1781, he made his appearance in a barn as Carlos in Revenge.
After enduring many hardships he was engaged by Hughes, manager of the Weymouth theatre, and thence returned to Exeter, where he played Macbeth and Romeo; he then (September 1791) joined Mrs. Baker's company in Kent. Here he changed his line of acting, and took the characters of La Gloire, Jemmy Jumps, Billy Bristle, Sir David Dunder, and Peeping Tom, in all of which he was well received by a Canterbury audience. He made his first appearance in London at Drury Lane under Wroughton's management as Sheva in Cumberland's comedy of the Jew, on 11 Oct. 1796, and was received with much applause.
No man on the stage was more versatile at this period of his career. His personation of Sir Hugh Evans in the Merry Wives of Windsor was excellent. He was considered the best representative of Malvolio on the English stage. He played with great success Mr. Hardcastle in She stoops to conquer, Clod in Young Quaker, Rupert in Jealous Wife, Sir Anthony Absolute in The Rivals, Major Sturgeon in The Mayor of Garrett, Governor Heartall in The Soldier's Daughter, and Dr. Cantwell in The Hypocrite at the Lyceum on 23 Jan. 1810. As Charles Lamb, William Hazlitt and James Leigh Hunt record in many reviews, he excelled in the roles of peppery old buffers - apparently offstage as well as on; he was known for throwing his wig into the fire in a rage, and according to an old edition of Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable was referred to personally as Sir Anthony Absolute.
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