Dowton, William

1764

1851

The actor and manager William Dowton was born at Exeter on 25 April 1764, the son of an innkeeper. Though given a good education and apprenticed to an architect, he joined strolling players in Devonshire, and is said to have made his professional debut in a barn. After appearances in some western provincial towns, Dowton joined Sarah Baker’s company in Kent and played at Rochester and Canterbury from 1792 to 1796. He made his first appearance in London at Drury Lane on 10 October 1796 as Sheva in “The Jew”, to mixed reviews. In his first season there he acted a number of roles, including Scrub in “The Stratagem”, the First Gravedigger in “Hamlet” and Sir Francis Wronghead in “The Provok’d Husband”. Except for occasional appearances in the provinces and at the Haymarket in summer, Dowton remained engaged at Drury Lane until 1820. He settled into a line of older men like Peachum in “The Beggar’s Opera”, Sir Anthony Absolute in “The Rivals”, Old Mirabel in “The Inconstant”, Obadiah Prim in “A Bold Stroke for a Wife”, Dr Cantwell in “The Hypocrite” and Major Sturgeon in “The Mayor of Garratt” (G0171). He was not successful on a tour to America in 1836, or in his provincial attempts in England, or in his management at Maidstone and Canterbury. Dowton died in Brixton, Surrey, on 19 April 1851. Leigh Hunt wrote warmly of him in his “Critical Essays”, praising his mercurial qualities as an actor and person. He was an original member of the Garrick Club in 1831. In addition to the pictures of him at the Garrick Club, there are a number of portraits of him in private and theatrical character (see the BDA 4: 469-70). (BDA)