Editing Lester Wallack (section)

==Biography==
He was born in New York and relocated at an early age to his parents' home in London where he was reared and educated.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=279}} His mother was actress [[Susan Johnstone]] and his father was [[James William Wallack]], a theatre producer.<ref>{{cite DNB |wstitle= Johnstone, John Henry |volume= 30 |last= Middleton |first= Louisa Mary |author-link= |page= 82 |short= 1}}</ref> 

He chose a military career but became discouraged and went to [[Dublin]] where he began performed on stage. He remained for two seasons and then went to [[Edinburgh]]. Then in 1846, he appeared in London at the [[Haymarket Theatre]] under [[Benjamin Nottingham Webster|Benjamin Webster]]'s management. There he was seen by George H. Barrett, who had come to London to engage actors for the [[Old Broadway Theatre|Broadway Theatre]], in New York.{{sfn|Matthews|Hutton|1900|pp=283–300}}

He made his American debut there in 1847, under the name of John Lester, appearing as Sir Charles Coldstream in [[Dion Boucicault|Boucicault]]'s adaptation of ''Used Up''.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=279}} His father's brother, Henry Wallack, the father of James William Wallack Jr. (1818–1873),<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pqmveZd4jD8C&pg=PA131 |title=Players and Plays of the Last Quarter Century |volume=I |first=Lewis C. |last=Strang |location=Boston |publisher=L. C. Page & Company |year=1903 |page=131}}</ref> was also in the Broadway Theatre's company. His second appearance was as Viscount de Ligny in ''Captain of the Guard'' by [[James Planché]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=279}}{{sfn|Matthews|Hutton|1900|pp=283–300}}

Subsequently, he performed at the [[Bowery Theatre]], [[Burton's Theatre]], [[Niblo's Garden]] and the first [[Wallack's Theatre]]. His first appearance at the Bowery Theatre was in 1849 as ''Don Caesar de Bazan'' by [[Adolphe d'Ennery]] and [[Philippe Dumanoir]].{{sfn|Matthews|Hutton|1900|pp=283–300}}

He managed the second Wallack's Theatre from 1861 (demolished in 1901), and in 1882 he opened the third at 30th Street and [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]] (demolished in 1915).{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=279}} Among the productions staged at the latter was [[Margaret Mather]]'s ill-fated production of ''[[Cymbeline]]'' in 1897. Another Wallack's Theatre, at 254 West 42nd Street in New York, was named for him in 1924. 

Wallack joined [[The Lambs]] in 1875, which frequently met at Wallack's Theater. He served as its Shepherd (president): 1878-82, 1884-88,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.the-lambs.org/board.htm |title=Governance of the Lambs ® |accessdate=2015-10-13 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150131220915/http://www.the-lambs.org/board.htm |archivedate=2015-01-31 }}</ref> and was one of the founders of the [[Actors' Fund of America]].

His greatest successes were as [[The School for Scandal|Charles Surface]], as [[Much Ado About Nothing|Benedick]], and especially as Elliot Grey in his own play ''Rosedale'', and similar light comedy and romantic parts, for which his fascinating manners and handsome person well fitted him. He married a sister (d. 1909) of [[John Everett Millais|Sir John Millais]]. He wrote his own ''Memories of Fifty Years''.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=279}}