Macready, << muhk REE dee >> William Charles (1793-1873), was a famous English tragic actor. He encouraged the dramatic works of poets Lord Byron and Robert Browning and restored integrity and accuracy to the staging of William Shakespeare’s plays. Macready had a violent temper, but his acting was restrained, dignified, and intellectual. A rivalry with American actor Edwin Forrest led to a riot in 1849 at the Astor Place Opera House in New York City, where Macready was performing in Macbeth. In the riot, 31 people were killed and about 150 were injured.
Macready was born on March 3, 1793, in London. He made his stage debut in 1810 in Birmingham and his London debut in 1816. By 1819, he rivaled Edmund Kean, the leading English actor of the time, excelling in Shakespearean roles. Macready’s diaries, covering his career to 1851, are an important source of theater history. He died on April 27, 1873.
