Nathaniel Bannister

Nathaniel Harrington Bannister (January 13, 1813 – November 2, 1847) was an American actor and playwright, one of the better American playwrights of his day.

Bannister wrote over 40 plays, including the very popular Putnam, the Iron Son of '76 (1844) about the American Revolutionary War hero Israel Putnam which played for 78 consecutive nights in New York at the Bowery Theatre (produced by Thomas S. Hamblin), an astounding success for its time.[1][2] The bulk of Bannister's many works, only some of which were published, are historical dramas.

Bannister was born in Delaware (some sources report Maryland) in 1813, and made his first appearance on stage in Baltimore at age 16 in the role of Young Norval. He died in poverty in New York on November 2, 1847.[3][4][5][6][7]

Bannister was married to actress Amelia Greene, who was previously married to John Augustus Stone.[8][9][10]

Plays (incomplete list)

References

  1. ↑ (24 August 1844). The Drama, The Anglo American, Vol. 3., No. 18, p. 429
  2. ↑ (19 October 1844). The Drama, p. 618 (noting that Putnam is still playing)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Cambridge Guide To Theatre, p. 76 (1995)
  4. ↑ Ireland, Joseph. Records of the New York stage, from 1750 to 1860, Vol. II, p. 205, 417 (1867)
  5. ↑ Berg, Albert Ellery. The drama, painting, poetry, and song, p. 265 (1884)
  6. ↑ Rees, James. The Dramatic Authors of America, pp. 35-36 (1845)
  7. ↑ (2 November 1847). Died, New York Evening Post
  8. ↑ Brown, T. Allston. A History of the New York Stage, Vol. I, p. 314 (1903)
  9. ↑ (18 November 1873). Mrs. Amelia Bannister. The Funereal of an Actress who Graced the Boards Half a Century Ago, The Sun (New York)
  10. ↑ Conner, William H. (10 April 1949). Who Was Nat Bannister, Playwright?, Sunday Morning Star (Wilmington, Delaware) (in depth article about Bannister, questioning whether he was raised in Delaware or Maryland)

External links