Garrick, David (1717-1779), ranks among the greatest British actors. He introduced a more natural style of acting and did much to arouse interest in the English playwright William Shakespeare. Garrick excelled as Hamlet and in other Shakespearean roles, and he also organized the popular “Shakespeare Jubilee” of 1769. It was the first Shakespeare festival held in Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare’s birthplace. Garrick also wrote several light comedies, including The Clandestine Marriage (1766), written with George Colman the elder.
Garrick was born on Feb. 19, 1717, in Hereford, and went to London in 1737. He won fame in 1741 playing Shakespeare’s Richard III. In 1747, he bought a share in the Drury Lane Theatre and began a successful career as a manager. He dominated the English theater as actor and manager for the rest of his life. He died on Jan. 20, 1779.
