Russell, Samuel Thomas

c.1770

1845

The son of Samuel Russell and his wife, both performers, Samuel Thomas Russell was born about 1770. In 1773 he was advertised as ‘Master Russell, age 3’ in the Norwich Theatre Royal playbill, and with his parents the child performed in some capacity at other provincial playhouses. On 18 September 1776 at the Haymarket Theatre in London young Samuel appeared at Ned Shuter’s benefit doing imitations and reciting ‘Bucks Have at ye all.’ That was a pattern for a few years, augmented by juvenile parts: Tom Thumb, the Quaker Boy in "A Bold Stroke for a Wife" and the Duke of York in "Richard III" at the Haymarket, the China Hall in Rotherhithe, Marylebone Gardens, and similar venues. Then the boy and his parents toured country theatres, attracted the attention of the Prince of Wales and thus arrived at Drury Lane. Samuel the younger on 22 January 1795 acted Charles in "The School for Scandal" (which displeased His Royal Highness) and Fribble in "Miss in Her Teens" (which didn’t). Critics told the lad he just wasn’t cut out for well-bred characters, and Fribble was more his type. That, of course, did not keep Russell from trying fashionable comic characters like Sparkish in "The Country Girl", but he was indeed better suited to rogues, countrymen and eccentric servants. By the end of the century he had added to his Drury Lane repertoire such characters as Roderigo in "Othello", Fag in "The Rivals", Osric in "Hamlet", Tattle in "Love for Love", Feste in "Twelfth Night" and, especially, Jerry Sneak in "The Mayor of Garratt" (G0171, G0730). Russell was especially popular at Margate (partly because he married the proprietor’s daughter), and as the years wore on he delved more and more into management, becoming stage manager at the Surrey Theatre and, from 1819, Drury Lane. He was a dependable comedian, sometimes tipsy, and a favourite at ‘giving out’ the next day’s bill, for he remained adept at reciting and joking. Russell gave his farewell to the audience on 1 July 1831 at the Haymarket, playing Jerry Sneak. He died on 25 February 1845. (BDA) [EAL]