Charles Brookfield

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Charles Brookfield was a British actor, author and journalist. He was born in London on 19 May 1857 and died on 20 October 1913.

A student at Cambridge University, he made his stage debut in 1879 in a production of Still Waters Run Deep. One of his last acting roles was in The Grand Duchess for the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company.

Having given up acting due to illness, Brookfield took to writing for the theatre.

His works include the English adaptation of The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein, The Lucky Star, witten in conjunction with Adrian Ross and Aubrey Hopwood produced at the Savoy Theatre in 1899, and The Belle of Mayfair, together with Basil Hood and Cosmo Hamilton, with music by Leslie Stuart. During this period, Brookfield also wrote as a journalist.

One of his later works, Dear Old Charley was to be branded unsuitable for the stage, and became the centre of controvesy. It may thus be a surprise that Brookfiled became the 'Examiner of Plays' in 1911. His health continued to fail however, and Brookfield died in 1913.