James Henry Hackett

infobox actor


birthdate=1800
birthplace=New York City, New York
deathdate=death date|1871|12|28
deathplace=Queens, New York
occupation=Stage actor
spouse=Catherine Leebuff
children=James Keteltas Hackett

James Henry Hackett (b. 1800, New York City -d. December 28, 1871, Jamaica, Long Island, New York), was a renowned actor.

Hackett entered Columbia College in 1815 but withdrew. He then studied law privately. In 1818 he became a wholesale clerk in a grocery firm in New York. In 1819 he married Catherine Leebuff, a young actress. After an unsuccessful entry into business, he went on the stage in March of 1826 playing the role of Justice Woodcock in "Love of a Village". He played opposite his wife in the play. He soon established a reputation as a player of eccentric character parts. The next year, he played at the Covent Garden in London with success. He traveled back and forth between the United States and Britain, achieving a reputation in the works of Shakespeare, particularly Falstaff.

As a manager and impresario, he is remembered, among other things, for having engaged the troupe of Italian opera singers who formed the nucleus of the first season (1854-55) of the Academy of Music in New York City. After that, he appeared only rarely on the public stage.He was the author of "Notes and Comments on Shakespeare" (1863).

He was the father of James Keteltas Hackett.

Notes and references

*Obituary article in the "New York Times", December 29, 1871