Aldridge, Ira

By: Graham Russell Gao Hodges

Source:

 Encyclopedia of African American History, 1619-1895: From the Colonial Period to the Age of Frederick Douglass

Aldridge, Ira

Sex:  Male

Born:  New York, New York, United States
24 July 1807

Died:  Lodz, Poland
10 August 1867

Activity/Profession:  Stage / Screen Actor

(b. 24 July 1807; d. 10 August 1867),
actor.

Ira Frederick Aldridge was the son of Daniel Aldridge, a minister, and Lurona (maiden name unknown). Born in New York City, Aldridge was educated at the African Free School. Although his father wanted him to become a minister, Aldridge turned to the stage when he became fascinated by the fledgling African Grove Theater, run by William Brown and starring the pioneering black actor James Hewlett. The theater closed in 1823 after the New York City government, under pressure from racist mobs, refused to grant it a license. Recognizing that his career as a serious actor was limited in the United States because of prevalent prejudice against blacks, Aldridge immigrated to England in 1824 and became an attendant to the famed thespian Henry Wallack, whom he met through Wallack's brother, James. Aldridge and Henry Wallack would clash when the latter identified the young black man as his servant.

Ira Aldridge as Aaron in Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus, c. 1850–1870, engraving from a daguerreotype by Paine of Islington, near London. The caption quoted Act 4, scene 2: “He dies upon my scimitar's sharp point, that touches this my firstborn son and heir!”

Library of Congress.

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On arriving in London, Aldridge proceeded to act in minor roles in both the capital and smaller cities. He made his debut on October 1825 at the Royal Coburg Theatre, playing the royal slave Oroonoko in The Revolt of Surinam. That performance was followed by successes in The Ethiopian and The Libertine Deflated. The following spring he performed the leading role in Shakespeare's Othello. Aldridge used the stage name Mr. Keene and was also known as “the African Roscius” until he reverted to his family name in 1832. Despite racist ridicule of his speech, Aldridge proved popular with British audiences in London and around Great Britain. Over the next quarter century he expanded his repertoire to include The Slave and The Padlock—indicating that he was consciously valorizing his race in his performances. Nonetheless, in 1830 Aldridge assumed his first “white” role, playing Captain Hatteraick in Guy Mannering, and went on to become well known in the roles of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice and Rob MacGregor in Rob Roy. He also performed as King Lear and worked extensively with the famed British Shakespearean actor Edmund Kean.

Because London critics remained prejudiced against Aldridge, his venues were found largely in the provinces and on the Continent, where he toured in Belgium, Hungary, Germany, Austria, and Poland to much acclaim. He returned frequently to Europe, receiving the Gold Medal of the First Class for Art and Sciences from the king of Prussia and the Medal of Ferdinand from the emperor of Vienna along with honorary memberships in several acting groups. Hurt by racist caricatures in London and in America, Aldridge in fact preferred performing before appreciative European audiences. In 1858 Aldridge finally had a successful engagement in London and also became a British citizen.

Aldridge is known to have married twice. His first wife, an Englishwoman named Margaret Gill, whom he married in 1832, died in 1864. The following year Aldridge married a Swedish countess, Amanda Paulina von Brandt, with whom he had five children, one of which died in infancy. Aldridge died while on tour in Poland in 1867.

Aldridge was the first major African American actor with a lengthy career. He dominated the stage through his performances of Shakespeare's tragic characters in the nineteenth century, with his extraordinary physical presence, powerful, clear voice, and realistic style. He was known for interpreting his many roles in ways that non-English speakers could quickly grasp.

See also African Grove Theater; Discrimination; and New York African Free Schools.

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