Terry, Daniel

c.1780

1829

Born in Bath about 1780, Terry spent five years as a pupil of the architect Samuel Wyatt, but turned to acting, first playing at Bath as Heartwell in "The Prize" about 1803. He joined the company at Sheffield in 1803, and he then spent some years at Edinburgh and Liverpool, where he was seen in such supporting roles as Cromwell in “Henry VIII” and Edmund in “King Lear”. At Edinburgh, where Sir Walter Scott became his champion, he was elevated to Falstaff in “Henry IV” and “The Merry Wives of Windsor” and created the role of Roderick Dhu in Eyre’s adaptation of “The Lady of the Lake” on 15 January 1811. On 18 November 1811 he acted Lord Ogleby in “The Clandestine Marriage”, the role in which he made his London debut at the Haymarket on 20 May 1812. During that season at the Haymarket he acted numerous roles, including Shylock, Iago, Major Sturgeon in “The Mayor of Garratt” and Barford in “Who Wants a Guinea?” (the role in which De Wilde depicts him in G0798). On 8 September 1813 he made his first appearance at Covent Garden, as Leon in “Rule a Wife and Have a Wife”. He remained at that theatre through 1822, when on 16 October he appeared as Sir Peter Teazle in “The School for Scandal”. In 1825 he became manager of the Adelphi with Frederick Henry Yates. But financial setbacks put him under the strain of collapse, and, after leaving the Adelphi and an engagement at Drury Lane, he suffered a paralyzing stroke and died in June 1829. Scott had thought highly of his acting in all forms of drama and gave him financial support and friendship at Edinburgh, where Terry was well known. Terry wrote five theatre pieces, including the music dramas “Guy Mannering” (Covent Garden, 12 March 1816) and “The Heart of Mid-Lothian” (Covent Garden, 17 April 1819). He was responsible for an important publication, “British Theatrical Gallery” (1825), a collection of theatrical portraits and brief biographies. Daniel Terry was not related to the famous Terry theatrical family.