James Herne

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James A. Herne (1 February 1839-1901), an American playwright, born James Ahern. Considered by some critics to be the "American Ibsen," his controversial play Margaret Fleming is often credited with having begun modern drama in America.

Herne was the first American playwright to incorporate dramatic realism, moving away from nineteenth-century dramatic romance and melodrama. Much of Herne's work faded into obscurity in the twentieth century, but his role in directing American dramatic literature toward the depiction of complex socially realities, as seen in his controversial play Margaret Fleming, marks him as an influential figure in 19th century drama.

Born James Ahearn in Cohoes, New York, his parents were poor Irish immigrants who removed him from school at age thirteen to work in a brush factory. Herne decided to become an actor the next year but was twenty before he could join a travelling troupe. He enjoyed modest success as a young actor, appearing in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. with the John Ford company in the early 1860s. He was the leading man for the Lucille Western Touring Company from 1865-1867. He managed the Grand Opera in New York for a season, then moved to San Francisco in 1870 to manage several other theaters. In San Francisco, he met David Belasco, with whom he collaborated on at least three of his plays. He also met and married his second wife, actress Katherine Corcoran, there.

Herne's first successful play, Hearts of Oak, was written and produced with Belasco in 1879. After this, Herne focused mostly on writing, though of his following plays, only a handful saw financial success in his lifetime. He continued to act, often in his own works but also in the plays of others. Herne died in New York in 1901.