Cherry, Andrew

1762

1812

Born in Limerick on 11 January 1762, the son of the printer and bookseller John Cherry, Andrew Cherry left grammar school at eleven and was employed by a bookseller in Dublin. He appeared in amateur theatricals at fourteen and three years latter joined a strolling company. After some years as a starving actor, he was engaged at Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin, where over some five years he earned a reputation as a comic actor. After engagements in the English provinces, mainly with Tate Wilkinson’s company on the York circuit, Cherry made his first appearance at Drury Lane Theatre on 25 September 1802 as Sir Benjamin Dove in Cumberland’s “The Brothers”. He remained at Drury Lane until 1807 and subsequently managed a troupe in Wales. He died at Monmouth on 12 February 1812. According to some accounts, Cherry possessed merit and ‘peculiar excellence’ as a comedian. He wrote about ten plays, several of which were produced in London; they are well constructed but display little literary merit. The most successful was “The Soldier’s Daughter” (see G0124), acted at Drury Lane on 7 February 1804 and printed in 12 editions. (DNB)