Gwyn, << gwihn, >> Nell (1650-1687), was a popular English actress and a mistress of King Charles II of England. She first appeared on stage at the age of 15 in John Dryden’s The Indian Emperor (1665) at the Theatre Royal (later the Drury Lane Theatre) in London. Gwyn was not a talented actress, but she was charming and lively. In 1667, she performed in men’s clothes as Florimel in Dryden’s Secret Love and scored a hit. She soon came to the attention of King Charles II and became his mistress. She probably made her last stage appearance about 1670.
Eleanor Gwyn may have been born in Hereford or London on Feb. 2, 1650. Before she began acting, she worked as an orange seller at the Theatre Royal. Gwyn died on Nov. 14, 1687.
