Kemble was the name of a British theatrical family in the 1700’s and 1800’s. The most notable member of the family was Sarah Siddons (see Siddons, Sarah Kemble). Roger Kemble (1721-1802), an actor and manager, had 12 children. Of these, the best known, apart from Sarah, was John Philip Kemble. Other notable members of the family included John Philip’s brother Charles Kemble and Charles’s daughter Fanny Kemble.
John Philip Kemble
(1757-1823) was a gifted actor-manager, noted for his tragic roles. He is particularly remembered for his roles as William Shakespeare’s characters Hamlet, Coriolanus, and Macbeth. Kemble was born on Feb. 1, 1757, in Prescot, near Liverpool, England, and studied to be a Roman Catholic priest. Then he joined an acting company at Wolverhampton. In 1783, he made his debut at Drury Lane Theatre in London, as Hamlet. From 1788 to 1802, Kemble managed Drury Lane. In 1802, he became a joint proprietor of Covent Garden Theatre, London. He died on Feb. 26, 1823.
Charles Kemble
(1775-1854) was an actor, manager, and playwright. He made his London acting debut in 1794 in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. He toured for several years in the early 1800’s and became manager of Covent Garden Theatre in London in 1817. There he staged several successful productions of Shakespeare’s plays, often featuring his daughter. Kemble retired from acting in 1836. Charles was born on Nov. 25, 1775, in Brecon, Wales. He died on Nov. 12, 1854.
Fanny Kemble
(1809-1893) wanted to be a writer. She began acting in 1829 to help her father in his financial troubles at Covent Garden. She gained acclaim for her performance as Juliet in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. She toured the United States with her father and married a wealthy American planter in the South in 1834. The marriage was a failure because her husband, Pierce Butler, owned slaves and Fanny was a dedicated abolitionist. Fanny returned to England in 1848 and resumed her acting career. From 1848 to 1874, she supported herself by giving readings from Shakespeare.
Fanny kept a journal of her life in America, published as Journal of a Residence in America (1835) and Journal of a Residence on a Georgian Plantation in 1838-1839 (1863). She wrote a volume of Poems (1844), a collection of Plays (1863), and a novel, Far Away and Long Ago (1889). Fanny is probably best remembered for her volumes of memoirs—Record of a Girlhood (1878), Records of a Later Life (1882), and Further Records (1890). Fanny was born in London on Nov. 27, 1809. Her real name was Frances Anne Kemble. She died on Jan. 15, 1893. See also Kemble, Fanny.
Several other members of the Kemble family were actors and actresses. They included Roger’s son Stephen Kemble (1758-1822) and Stephen’s wife, Elizabeth Kemble (1763?-1841); Stephen’s son Henry Stephen Kemble (1789-1836); Charles’s wife, Maria Theresa Kemble (1774-1838); and John Philip’s wife, Priscilla Kemble (1756-1845). In addition, Charles’s son John Mitchell Kemble (1807-1857) was a noted historian, and Charles’s daughter Adelaide Kemble (1814?-1874) was a singer and author.
