Kean
Kean names 3 different subjects across the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf. Each is set out below.
Kean EDMUND, an English actor
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
EDMUND, an English actor; born in London, Nov. 4, 1787. His parentage is doubtful, though Nance Carey, daughter of George Savile Carey, Nov. was his mother. Nance Carey being an btful, actress, Kean from his infancy made George occasional appearances on the stage, and Nance Ca when about 16 years old became a regular "stroller." After 10 years' painful experience he succeeded in obtaining an re old be engagement at Drury Lane Theater, where he made his famous first appear- Beded ance as Shylock, Jan. 26, 1814. His suc- Tury cess was immediate, and he at once took rank as the first actor of the day, displacing even John Philip Kemble. A period of wonderful success followed; but Kean's irregularities were as great as his genius, and he gradually forfeited the public approval. An intrigue with the wife of Alderman Cox led to a lawsuit, and public disapproval of his conduct drove Kean from the stage. He went to America, and returned to England in 1826, a mere wreck in health. At last, March 25, 1833, he broke down hopelessly, while playing Othello to the Iago of his son Charles, and never acted again. Regarding Kean's genius as actor there can be no question. He died es, and in Richmond, May 15, 1833. ean's
Kean CHARLES JOHN, an English actor
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
CHARLES JOHN, an English actor; son of Edmund Kean; born in Waterford, Ireland, Jan. 18, 1811. He was educated at Eton, but in 1827 he took to the stage, and made his début at Drury Lane as Young Norval. In 1830 he visited America, established his reputation, and reappeared as a leading actor in London in 1838, among his parts being Hamlet and Richard III. He married the accomplished actress Ellen Tree in 1842, revisited the United States in 1845, and in 1851 became sole lessee of the Princess Theater, London, where he put some of Shakespeare's plays on the stage with a splendor never before attempted. In 1863 he made a tour to Australia, California, Jamaica, the United States, Canada, etc., which proved a great financial success. He died in London, England, Jan. 22, 1868.
Kean keen, Edmund (1787-1833)
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
keen, Edmund (1787-1833), a celebrated English actor. He was a native of London. His mother was an actress, his father a stage carpenter. He was literally born to the stage. He began acting when a mere child. His first genuine success came to him in London in 1814, when he appeared in Drury Lane as Shylock. He took the city by storm. Seats were at a premium. He was equally successful as Othello, Richard III, and Sir Giles Overreach. He made several tours, visiting America twice. He acquired intemperate habits, and broke down in 1833 while still a young man. He is considered one of the greatest actors that ever appeared on the London stage. He was succeeded by his son Charles, who attained reasonable success in his father's chosen profession.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
The facts of both careers stand as Collier's and Aiton's set them down in 1921 and 1910: Edmund Kean's overnight triumph as Shylock at Drury Lane on 26 January 1814, the Cox scandal, the collapse in 1833 while playing Othello to his son Charles's Iago. What has moved is reputation rather than record. Charles Kean's Princess's Theatre revivals, praised in 1921 for "a splendor never before attempted," are now studied seriously as a landmark in historically researched stage design, his surviving prompt books a standard source for theatre historians. Edmund himself has become a legend of the Romantic actor rather than a remembered performance — he died decades before sound recording, so nothing survives but eyewitness description, and most people now meet him through Dumas's 1836 play Kean, reworked by Jean-Paul Sartre in 1953.
Written for this edition, 2026.