Editing Henry Irving

{{Short description|English stage actor of the Victorian era (1838–1905)}}
{{other people|Henry Irving}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2013}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix   = [[Sir]]
| name               = Henry Irving
| image              = Henry Irving.jpg
| imagesize          = 
| caption            = Portrait of Irving in 1878
| birth_name         = John Brodribb<ref group="lower-alpha">middle name "Henry" added at his christening</ref>
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1838|02|06|df=yes}}
| birth_place        = [[Keinton Mandeville]], [[Somerset]], England
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|1905|10|13|1838|02|06|df=yes}}
| death_place        = [[Bradford]], [[West Riding of Yorkshire]], England
| restingplace       = [[Westminster Abbey]]
| restingplacecoordinates = 
| other_names        = J. H. Irving
| occupation         = Actor
| years_active       = 1856–1905
| spouse             = Florence O'Callaghan
| children           = [[Harry Brodribb Irving]]<br/>[[Laurence Sydney Brodribb Irving|Laurence Irving]]
| signature          = Henry Irving Signature.jpg
}}

'''Sir Henry Irving''' (6 February 1838&nbsp;– 13 October 1905), christened '''John Henry Brodribb''', sometimes known as '''J. H. Irving''', was an English stage actor in the [[Victorian era]], known as an [[actor-manager]] because he took complete responsibility (supervision of sets, lighting, direction, casting, as well as playing the leading roles) for season after season at the [[West End theatre|West End]]'s [[Lyceum Theatre, London|Lyceum Theatre]], establishing himself and his company as representative of English classical theatre. In 1895 he became the first actor to be awarded a [[knighthood]], indicating full acceptance into the higher circles of British society.

==Life and career==
Irving was born to a [[working-class]] family in [[Keinton Mandeville]] in the county of [[Somerset]].<ref name=dnbsup>{{cite DNB12|wstitle=Irving, Henry|volume=2|page=352}}</ref> [[W.H. Davies]], the poet, was a cousin. Irving spent his childhood living with his aunt, Mrs Penberthy, at [[Halsetown]] in [[Cornwall]]. He competed in a recitation contest at a local [[Methodist]] chapel where he was beaten by [[William Curnow]], later the editor of ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]''.<ref>[[John Langdon Bonython]], Address of the President, Journal of the Royal Institution of Cornwall, Volume XXIV, Parts 1 and 2, 1933-34, p8-9.</ref> He attended City Commercial School for two years before going to work in the office of a law firm at age 13. When he saw [[Samuel Phelps]] play [[Prince Hamlet|Hamlet]] soon after this, he sought lessons, letters of introduction, and work in the Lyceum Theatre in [[Sunderland]] in 1856, labouring against great odds until his 1871 success in ''[[The Bells (play)|The Bells]]'' in [[London]] set him apart from all the rest.

He married Florence O'Callaghan on 15 July 1869 at St. Marylebone, London, but his personal life took second place to his professional life. On opening night of ''The Bells'', 25 November 1871, Florence, who was pregnant with their second child, criticised his profession: "Are you going on making a fool of yourself like this all your life?" Irving exited their carriage at [[Hyde Park Corner]], walked off into the night, and chose never to see her again.  He maintained a discreet distance from his children as well, but became closer to them as they grew older. Florence Irving never divorced Irving, and once he had been knighted she styled herself "Lady Irving"; Irving never remarried.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Kilgarriff|first1=Michael|title=Sir Henry Irving – Biography|url=http://www.theirvingsociety.org.uk/henry-irving/|publisher=The Irving Society|access-date=12 February 2017}}</ref>

[[File:Henry Irving - Project Gutenberg eBook 12223.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Sir Henry Irving, as [[Hamlet]], in an 1893 illustration from ''[[The Idler (1892–1911)|The Idler]]'' magazine]]
His elder son, [[Harry Brodribb Irving]] (1870–1919), usually known as "H B Irving", became a famous actor and later a theatre manager. His younger son, [[Laurence Sydney Brodribb Irving|Laurence Irving]] (1871–1914), became a [[dramatist]] and later drowned, with his wife [[Mabel Hackney]], in the sinking of the ''[[RMS Empress of Ireland|Empress of Ireland]]''. H B married [[Dorothea Baird]] and they had a son, [[Laurence Irving (set designer)|Laurence Irving]] (1897–1988), who became a well-known [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] art director and his grandfather's biographer, and a daughter, [[Elizabeth Irving]] (1904 – 2003) an actress and the founder of Keep Britain Tidy.

In November 1882 Irving became a [[Freemasonry|Freemason]], being initiated into the prestigious Jerusalem Lodge No 197 in London.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theirvingsociety.org.uk/brother_irving.htm |title=Brother Irving |access-date=2010-06-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090827030355/http://www.theirvingsociety.org.uk/brother_irving.htm |archive-date=27 August 2009 }}  Prescott, Andrew 'Brother Irving:  Sir Henry Irving and Freemasonry'  The Irving Society website</ref> In 1887 he became a founder member and first Treasurer of the Savage Club Lodge No 2190,<ref>"Distinguished members" section, Savage Club Lodge [http://www.savageclublodge.com/index.html website].</ref> a Lodge associated with London's [[Savage Club]].

He eventually took over the management of the Lyceum Theatre and brought actress [[Ellen Terry]] into partnership with him as [[Ophelia]] to his Hamlet, [[Lady Macbeth]] to his [[Macbeth (character)|Macbeth]], [[Portia (Merchant of Venice)|Portia]] to his [[Shylock]], Beatrice to his Benedick, etc. Before joining the Lyceum, Terry had fled her first marriage and conceived two out-of-wedlock children with architect-designer [[Edward William Godwin]], but regardless of how much and how often her behavior defied the strict morality expected by her Victorian audiences, she somehow remained popular.  It could be said that Irving found his family in his professional company, which included his ardent supporter and manager [[Bram Stoker]] and Terry's two illegitimate children, [[Edward Gordon Craig|Teddy]] and [[Edy Craig|Edy]].

Whether Irving's long, spectacularly successful relationship with leading lady [[Ellen Terry]] was romantic as well as professional has been the subject of much historical speculation.  Most of their correspondence was lost or burned by her descendants.<ref>Irving, John H. B. [http://www.theirvingsociety.org.uk/LETTERS.htm "Quest for the Missing Letters"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111224153429/http://www.theirvingsociety.org.uk/LETTERS.htm |date=24 December 2011 }}, The Irving Society, accessed 12 October 2011</ref> According to [[Michael Holroyd]]'s book about Irving and Terry, ''A Strange Eventful History'':

{{blockquote|Years later, when Irving was dead, Marguerite Steen asked Ellen whether she really had been Irving's lover, and she promptly answered: 'Of course I was.  We were terribly in love for a while.' But at earlier periods in her life, when there were more people around to be offended, she said contradictory things.}}

Terry's son Teddy, later known as [[Edward Gordon Craig]], spent much of his childhood (from 1879, when he was 8, until 1897) indulged by Irving backstage at the Lyceum. Craig, who came to be regarded as something of a visionary for the theatre of the future, wrote an especially vivid, book-length tribute to Irving.  ("Let me state at once, in clearest unmistakable terms, that I have never known of, or seen, or heard, a greater actor than was Irving.") [[George Bernard Shaw]], at the time a theatre critic who was jealous of Irving's connection to Ellen Terry (whom Shaw himself wanted in his own plays), conceded Irving's genius after Irving died.

===Early career===
[[File:Henry Irving Vanity Fair.jpg|thumb|upright|[[List of Vanity Fair caricatures|Caricature]] (by [[Carlo Pellegrini (caricaturist)|Ape]]) of Irving in ''[[The Bells (play)|The Bells]]''. ''[[Vanity Fair (British magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'', 19 December 1874.]]

After a few years' schooling while living at Halsetown, near [[St Ives, Cornwall]], Irving became a clerk to a firm of [[East India Company|East India]] merchants in London, but he soon gave up a commercial career for acting. On 29 September 1856 he made his first appearance at Sunderland as Gaston, Duke of Orleans, in [[Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton|Bulwer Lytton]]'s play, ''Richelieu'', billed as Henry Irving. This name he eventually assumed by royal licence.<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Irving, Sir Henry|volume=14|pages=855–856}}</ref> When the inexperienced Irving got stage fright and was hissed off the stage the actor [[Samuel Johnson (comedian)|Samuel Johnson]] was among those who supported him with practical advice. Later in life Irving gave them all regular work when he formed his own Company at the [[Lyceum Theatre, London|Lyceum Theatre]].<ref name=Johnson>{{cite web|url=http://www.theirvingsociety.org.uk/s_johnson.htm |title=Samuel Johnson c.1830-1900 A Life from the Grave, by Jennie Bisset |publisher=The Irving Society |date=November 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213210924/http://www.theirvingsociety.org.uk/s_johnson.htm |archive-date=13 December 2013 }}</ref>

For 10 years, he went through an arduous training in various [[Repertory theatre|stock]] companies in [[Scotland]] and the north of England, taking more than 500 parts.

{{blockquote|his delineations of the various characters (...) were admirably graphic, and met with repeated rounds of applause. Possessed of a fine voice, which he modulated with great taste and judgment, he was able to mark the depth or frivolity of the character he was representing with remarkable facility.<ref>{{cite news |title=Crosby Hall|work=Evening Standard|location=London|page=3 |date=21 December 1859 |access-date=1 September 2014 |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000183/18591221/011/0003| via = [[British Newspaper Archive]]|url-access=subscription }} Irving was giving a reading of [[Edward Bulwer-Lytton|Bulwer's]] [[The Lady of Lyons]]</ref>}}

[[File:Henry Irving, tragedian - Weir Collection.jpg|thumbnail|upright|left|Irving, 1883. Photograph by Samuel A. Walker]]
He gained recognition by degrees, and in 1866 [[Ruth Herbert]] engaged him as her leading man and sometime stage director at the [[St. James's Theatre]], London, where she first played Doricourt in ''The Belle's Stratagem''. One piece that he directed there was [[W. S. Gilbert]]'s first successful solo play, ''[[Dulcamara, or the Little Duck and the Great Quack]]'' (1866)<ref>Crowther, Andrew.  ''Gilbert of Gilbert and Sullivan'', p. 60, The History Press Ltd (2011) {{ISBN|0-7524-5589-3}}</ref> The next year he joined the company of the newly opened Queen's Theatre, where he acted with [[Charles Wyndham (actor)|Charles Wyndham]], [[J. L. Toole]], Lionel Brough, [[John Clayton (British actor)|John Clayton]], Mr. and Mrs. [[Alfred Wigan]], [[Ellen Terry]] and [[Nellie Farren]]. This was followed by short engagements at the [[Haymarket Theatre]], Drury Lane, and the [[Gaiety Theatre, London|Gaiety Theatre]].<ref name="EB1911"/> In the spring of 1869, Irving was one of the original twelve members of [[The Lambs#History|The Lambs of London]]—assembled by [[John Hare (actor)|John Hare]] as a social club for actors<ref name="TheLambs">{{cite book | last=Hardee | first=Lewis J. Jr. |title= The Lambs Theatre Club |date= 2010 |orig-date= 1st pub. 2006 |edition= 2nd |type= softcover |location= Jefferson, North Carolina |publisher= [[McFarland Publishing]] |isbn= 978-0-7864-6095-3}}</ref>{{rp|20}}—and would be made an Honorary Lifetime member in 1883.<ref name="TheLambsWebsite">{{cite web |title= The Lambs |url= https://the-lambs.org/history/roster/ |at= (Member Roster, 'I') |publisher= [[The Lambs|The Lambs, Inc.]] |website= the-lambs.org |date= 6 November 2015 |access-date= 20 December 2021 |archive-date= 31 May 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220531032150/https://the-lambs.org/history/roster/ |url-status= dead }}</ref> He finally made his first conspicuous success as Digby Grant in [[James Albery]]'s ''Two Roses'', which was produced at the [[Vaudeville Theatre]] on 4 June 1870 and ran for a very successful 300 nights.<ref name="EB1911"/>

In 1871, Irving began his association with the [[Lyceum Theatre, London|Lyceum Theatre]] by an engagement under Bateman's management. The fortunes of the house were at a low ebb when the tide was turned by Irving's sudden success as Mathias in ''[[The Bells (play)|The Bells]],'' a version of [[Erckmann-Chatrian]]'s ''[[Le Juif polonais]]'' by [[Leopold Lewis]], a property which Irving had found for himself. The play ran for 150 nights,<ref name="EB1911"/> established Irving at the forefront of the British drama, and would prove a popular vehicle for Irving for the rest of his professional life.{{Citation needed|date=July 2023}}

With Bateman, Irving was seen in [[William Gorman Wills|W. G. Wills]]' ''Charles I'' and ''Eugene Aram'', in ''Richelieu'', and in 1874 in ''[[Hamlet]]''. The unconventionality of this last performance, during a run of 200 nights, aroused keen discussion and singled him out as the most interesting English actor of his day. In 1875, again with Bateman, he was seen as the title character in ''[[Macbeth]]''; in 1876 as [[Othello (character)|Othello]], and as Philip in [[Alfred Lord Tennyson]]'s ''Queen Mary''; in 1877 in ''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]''; and in ''[[The Lyons Mail (play)|The Lyons Mail]]''.<ref name="EB1911"/> During this time he became lifelong friends with Bram Stoker, who praised him in his review of ''Hamlet'' and thereafter joined Irving as the manager for the company.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

===Peak years===

[[File:St Paul's Girls' School, London 04.JPG|thumb|Plaque at [[St Paul's Girls' School]], London]]

In 1878, Irving entered into a partnership with actress [[Ellen Terry]] and re-opened the Lyceum under his own management. With Terry as Ophelia and Portia, he revived ''[[Hamlet]]'' and produced ''[[The Merchant of Venice]]'' (1879). His [[Shylock]] was as much discussed as his Hamlet had been, the dignity with which he invested the vengeful [[Jew]]ish merchant marking a departure from the traditional interpretation of the role.<ref name="EB1911"/>
[[File:HenryIrvingInHisStudy.jpg|thumb|left|Henry Irving in his study in 1892]]
[[File:Henry Irving ca 1893.jpg|thumb|Mr. Henry Irving watching a rehearsal {{Circa|1893}}]]
After the production of Tennyson's ''The Cup'' and revivals of ''Othello'' (in which Irving played [[Iago]] to [[Edwin Booth]]'s title character) and ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'', there began a period at the Lyceum which had a potent effect on the English stage.<ref name="EB1911"/>

''[[Much Ado about Nothing]]'' (1882) was followed by ''[[Twelfth Night]]'' (1884); an adaptation of [[Oliver Goldsmith|Goldsmith]]'s ''[[Vicar of Wakefield]]'' by W. G. Wills (1885); ''Faust'' (1885); ''Macbeth'' (1888, with [[incidental music]] by [[Arthur Sullivan]]<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20160919115854/http://www.gilbertandsullivanarchive.org/sullivan/macbeth/index.html "Sullivan's incidental music to Shakespeare's ''Macbeth'']}}, The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive, 28 January 2005, accessed 21 August 2016; Hugill, Robert. [http://www.planethugill.com/2016/08/mendelssohnian-charm-sir-arthur.html "Mendelssohnian charm: Sir Arthur Sullivan's ''Macbeth'' and ''The Tempest''"], PlanetHugill.com, 15 August 2016</ref>); ''The Dead Heart'', by Watts Phillips (1889); ''Ravenswood'' by Herman, and Merivales' dramatic version of [[Sir Walter Scott|Scott]]'s ''[[Bride of Lammermoor]]'' (1890). Portrayals in 1892 of the characters of [[Cardinal Wolsey|Wolsey]] in ''[[Henry VIII (play)|Henry VIII]]'' and of the title character in ''[[King Lear]]'' were followed in 1893 by a performance of [[Thomas Becket|Becket]] in [[Alfred, Lord Tennyson|Tennyson]]'s [[Becket (Tennyson play)|play of the same name]]. During these years, too, Irving, with the whole Lyceum company, paid several successful visits to the United States and Canada,<ref>{{cite journal|title=Music and the Drama: Irving's Vsit|journal=The Week: A Canadian Journal of Politics, Literature, Science and Arts|date=28 February 1884|volume=1|issue=13|page=204|url=https://archive.org/stream/weekcanadianjour01toro#page/n103/mode/1up|access-date=27 April 2013}}</ref> which were repeated in succeeding years.<ref name="EB1911"/> As Terry aged, there seemed to be fewer opportunities for her in his company; that was one reason she eventually left, moving on into less steady but nonetheless beloved stage work, including solo performances of Shakespeare's women.

===Safety theatres===
{{see also|Exeter Theatre Royal fire}}
In 1887, the [[Exeter Theatre Royal fire]] claimed the lives of 186 people, injuring dozens more, during a performance of ''[[The Romany Rye (play)|The Romany Rye]]'' being staged by fellow actor-manager [[Wilson Barrett]] at the [[Theatre Royal, Exeter]].

Irving was one of the first high-profile people to donate to the relief fund for survivors and orphans, sending £100.<ref>{{cite book|last=Delderfield|first=Eric R|title=Cavalcade by Candlelight: History of Exeter's Theatres, 1725–1950|year=1950|publisher=ERD Books|isbn=9780900345128}}</ref>

The fire caused Irving to become involved in ensuring better safety for theatres, and he developed the "Irving Safety Theatre" principles, working with eminent architect [[Alfred Darbyshire]]. These principles included making the theatre site isolated, dividing the auditorium from the back of house, a minimum height above street level for any part of the audience, providing two separate exits for every section of the audience, improved stage construction including a smoke flue, and fire-resistant construction throughout.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Victorian Era Exhibition 1897|url=http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/VictorianEraExhibition.htm|last=Lloyd|first=Matthew}}</ref>

The first theatre built to these principles was the rebuilt New Theatre Royal in Exeter.

===Influence on Bram Stoker's ''Dracula''===
{{main|Dracula}}
From 1878, [[Bram Stoker]] worked for Irving as a business manager at the Lyceum. Stoker idolised Irving to the point that "As one contemporary remarked, 'To Bram, Irving is as a god, and can do no wrong.' In the considered judgment of one biographer, Stoker's friendship with Irving was 'the most important love relationship of his adult life.'"<ref name="Warren2002"/> Irving, however, "… was a self-absorbed and profoundly manipulative man. He enjoyed cultivating rivalries between his followers, and to remain in his circle required constant, careful courting of his notoriously fickle affections."<ref name="Warren2002">{{cite journal
  |title = Buffalo Bill Meets Dracula: William F. Cody, Bram Stoker, and the Frontiers of Racial Decay
  |last = Warren
  |first = Louis S.
  |year = 2002
  |journal = [[The American Historical Review]]
  |publisher = [[American Historical Association]]
  |volume = 107
  |issue = 4
  |pages = 1124–57
  |issn = 0002-8762
  |eissn = 1937-5239
  |doi = 10.1086/ahr/107.4.1124
  |s2cid = 162663227
 }}</ref> When Stoker began writing ''[[Dracula]]'', Irving was the chief inspiration for the [[Count Dracula|title character]].<ref name="Warren2002"/> In his 2002 paper for ''[[The American Historical Review]]'', "Buffalo Bill Meets Dracula: William F. Cody, Bram Stoker, and the Frontiers of Racial Decay",<ref name="Warren2002"/> historian [[Louis S. Warren]] writes:

{{blockquote|Scholars have long agreed that keys to the Dracula tale's origin and meaning lie in the manager's relationship with Irving in the 1880s. … There is virtual unanimity on the point that the figure of Dracula—which Stoker began to write notes for in 1890—was inspired by Henry Irving himself. … Stoker's numerous descriptions of Irving correspond so closely to his rendering of the fictional count that contemporaries commented on the resemblance. … But Bram Stoker also internalized the fear and animosity his employer inspired in him, making them the foundations of his gothic fiction.}}

===Later years===
[[File:Statue of Henry Irving, London.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Statue of Henry Irving, London|statue of Sir Henry Irving]] in London, behind the [[National Portrait Gallery (London)|National Portrait Gallery]]]]
The chief remaining novelties at the Lyceum during Irving's term as sole manager (at the beginning of 1899 the theatre passed into the hands of a limited-liability company) were [[Arthur Conan Doyle]]'s ''Waterloo'' (1894);<ref>see King, ''Henry Irving's 'Waterloo<nowiki>'</nowiki>''</ref> [[J. Comyns Carr]]'s ''King Arthur'' in 1895; ''[[Cymbeline]]'', in which Irving played Iachimo, in 1896; [[Victorien Sardou|Sardou]]'s ''Madame Sans-Gene'' in 1897; and ''Peter the Great'', a play by Laurence Irving, the actor's second son, in 1898.<ref name="EB1911"/>

Irving received a death threat in 1899 from fellow actor (and murderer of [[William Terriss]]) [[Richard Archer Prince]]. Terriss had been stabbed at the stage door of the [[Adelphi Theatre]] in December 1897 and in the wake of his death, Prince was committed to [[Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum]]. Irving was critical of the unusually lenient sentence, remarking "Terriss was an actor, so his murderer will not be executed." Two years later, Prince had found Irving's home address and threatened to murder him "when he gets out". Irving was advised to submit the letter to the Home Office to ensure Prince's continued incarceration, which Irving declined to do.<ref>''Aberdeen Evening Express'' [[British Newspaper Archive]] 5 April 1899, p. 3.</ref>

[[File:Henry Irving, 1905-10.jpg|thumb|left|upright|A c. 1905–1910 portrait of Irving by [[Reginald Grenville Eves|R. G. Eves]]]]
In 1898 Irving was [[Rede Lecturer]] at the [[University of Cambridge]].<ref>{{acad|id=IRVN898H|name=Irving, Sir Henry}}</ref> The new regime at the Lyceum was signalled by the production of Sardou's ''[[Maximilien Robespierre|Robespierre]]'' in 1899, in which Irving reappeared after a serious illness, and in 1901 by an elaborate revival of ''[[Coriolanus (play)|Coriolanus]]''. Irving's only subsequent production in London was as Sardou's ''[[Dante]]'' (1903) at the Drury Lane.<ref name="EB1911"/>

==Death==
On 13 October 1905, at 67 years old, Irving had completed a performance and suffered a [[stroke]] after returning to his lodging at the lobby of the [[Midland Hotel, Bradford]], where he died before medical attention could arrive.<ref>"Sir Henry Irving Dies After Play", ''The New York Times'', 14 October 1905, p. 1</ref><ref name="BradRailHotel">{{Cite web |title=Sir Henry Irving Is Dead, Sudden Collapse at the Midland Hotel |work=Midland Railway Hotel&nbsp;— Bradford |access-date=2011-07-14 |url=http://www.bradfordmidlandhotel.co.uk/sir-henry-irving-2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320035540/http://www.bradfordmidlandhotel.co.uk/sir-henry-irving-2 |archive-date=20 March 2012 }}</ref> A more dramatic, but untrue story, would later be written by [[Thomas Anstey Guthrie]] in his 'Long Retrospect': "Within three months, on 13 October 1905, Henry Irving, when appearing as Becket at the Bradford Theatre, was seized with syncope just after uttering Becket's dying words 'Into thy hands, O Lord, into thy hands', and though he lived for an hour or so longer he never spoke again." (Thomas Anstey Guthrie. "Long Retrospect")

Another witness at the play, [[Bram Stoker]] (known for being the author of ''Dracula''), told reporters later that "We chatted for awhile after the play, and I left him, although not notably strong, not in any way cast down and not more exhausted than had been usual for some time. A little more than three-quarters of an hour afterward I was sent for by the man who attended Sir Henry from the theatre, who told me that he had fainted or collapsed on entering the Midland Hotel. Hurrying down, I found Sir Henry lying in the passage— dead." Stoker added, "Had he died on the stage, as might have happened, it would have given shock and bitter memory to many tender hearts."<ref>"The Last Hours", ''The Daily Telegraph'' (London), 16 October 1905, p. 9</ref> Guthrie's confusion may have come from the fact that the character Becket's last words in the play are "O Lord, into thy hands," but, as a correspondent noted, "Then the curtain falls, and within a very short time, having just reached his hotel, the great actor breathed his last."<ref>"'Lights Out.'", ''The Daily Telegraph'' (London), 16 October 1905, p. 9</ref>

The chair that he was sitting in before he died is now at the [[Garrick Club]]. He was cremated and his ashes buried in [[Westminster Abbey]], thereby becoming the first person to be cremated prior to interment at Westminster.<ref name=CremSoc>{{Cite web|url=http://www.srgw.demon.co.uk/CremSoc/History/HistSocy.html|title=Woking Crematorium|work=Internet|publisher=The Cremation Society of Great Britain|access-date=28 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100803051500/http://www.srgw.demon.co.uk/CremSoc/History/HistSocy.html|archive-date=3 August 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref>

There is a statue of him near the [[National Portrait Gallery (London)|National Portrait Gallery]] in London. That statue, as well as the influence of Irving himself, plays an important part in the [[Robertson Davies]] novel ''[[World of Wonders (novel)|World of Wonders]]''. The Irving Memorial Garden was opened on 19 July 1951 by [[Laurence Olivier]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theirvingsociety.org.uk/memorial.htm |title=Irving Memorial |access-date=2011-10-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930203244/http://www.theirvingsociety.org.uk/memorial.htm |archive-date=30 September 2011 }}</ref>

==Legacy==
Both on and off the stage, Irving always maintained a high ideal of his profession, and in 1895 he received a [[Knight Bachelor|knighthood]] (first offered in 1883), the first ever accorded an actor.<ref>{{cite book|author=Jeffrey Richards|title=Sir Henry Irving: A Victorian Actor and His World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=22Xp03gBd-MC&pg=PA109|year=2007|publisher=A&C Black|page=109|isbn=9781852855918}}</ref> He was also the recipient of honorary degrees from the universities of [[University of Dublin|Dublin]] ([[Doctor of Laws|LL.D]] 1892), [[Cambridge University|Cambridge]] ([[Doctor of Letters|Litt.D]] 1898), and [[University of Glasgow|Glasgow]] ([[Doctor of Laws|LL.D]] 1899).<ref name="EB1911"/> He also received the Komthur Cross, 2nd class, of the [[Saxe-Ernestine House Order]] of [[Saxe-Coburg-Gotha]] and [[Saxe-Meiningen]].<ref name="dnbsup"/>

[[File:Diary of a Nobody Burwin-Fosselton.gif|left|250px|thumb|Mr Burwin-Fossleton as Henry Irving. Chapter XI of ''[[The Diary of a Nobody]]''.]]
His acting divided critics; opinions differed as to the extent to which his mannerisms of voice and deportment interfered with or assisted the expression of his ideas.<ref name="EB1911"/> Irving's idiosyncratic style of acting and its effect on amateur players was mildly satirised in ''[[The Diary of a Nobody]]''. Mr Pooter's son brings Mr Burwin-Fosselton of the Holloway Comedians to supper, a young man who entirely monopolised the conversation, and:
<blockquote>
"...who not only looked rather like Mr Irving but seemed to imagine he ''was'' the celebrated actor... he began doing the Irving business all through supper. He sank so low down in his chair that his chin was almost on a level with the table, and twice he kicked Carrie under the table, upset his wine, and flashed a knife uncomfortably near Gowing's face."<ref>Grossmith, George and Weedon. (1892). ''[[The Diary of a Nobody]]''. Arrowsmith, Bristol. Burwin-Fosselton returns on several evenings in full "Irving" costume; Mr Pooter confides to his diary that "... one can have even too much imitation of Irving."</ref></blockquote>

In [[T. S. Eliot]]'s poem, "[[Gus: The Theatre Cat]]" ({{Circa|1939}}), the title character's old age and theatrical distinction are expressed in the couplet:

<i>For he once was a Star of the highest degree--<br>
He has acted with Irving, he's acted with [[Herbert Beerbohm Tree|Tree]].</i>

These verses appear in the lyrics of the homonymous song in [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]]'s 1981 musical ''[[Cats (musical)|Cats]]''.
 
In the 1963 [[West End musical]] comedy ''[[Half a Sixpence]]'' the actor Chitterlow does an impression of Irving in ''[[The Bells (play)|The Bells]]''. [[Percy French]]'s burlesque heroic poem "[[Abdul Abulbul Amir]]" lists among the mock-heroic attributes of Abdul's adversary, the Russian Count Ivan Skavinsky Skavar, that "he could imitate Irving". In the 1995 film ''[[A Midwinter's Tale]]'' by [[Kenneth Branagh]], two actors discuss Irving, and one of them, [[Richard Briers]] does an imitation of his speech. In the play ''[[The Woman in Black (play)|The Woman in Black]]'', set in the Victorian era, the actor playing Kipps tells Kipps 'We'll make an Irving of you yet,' in Act 1, as Kipps is not a very good actor due to his inexperience.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kabatchnik|first1=Amnon |title=Blood on the Stage, 1975-2000: Milestone Plays of Crime, Mystery, and Detection |date=2012 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |page=326}}</ref> In the political sitcom ''[[Yes, Prime Minister]]'' (sequel to ''[[Yes Minister]]''), in the episode "The Patron of the Arts", first aired on 14 January 1988, the Prime Minister is asked what was the last play he'd seen, and replies "Hamlet." When asked "Whose?" – specifically, who played Hamlet, not who wrote it – he is unable to remember and is prompted with the suggestion "Henry Irving?" to audience laughter.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} A play by [[David Hare (playwright)|David Hare]], to premiere in 2025 and starring [[Ralph Fiennes]] as Irving, ''Grace Pervades'', explores the life of Irving, Terry and Terry's children, [[Edith Craig]] and [[Edward Gordon Craig]].<ref>[https://www.westendtheatre.com/227975/news/ralph-fiennes-theatre-royal-bath-season-announced-for-2025-including-new-david-hare-play-grace-pervades-as-you-like-it "Ralph Fiennes / Theatre Royal Bath season announced for 2025 including new David Hare play ''Grace Pervades'' & ''As You Like It'' starring Gloria Obianyo & Harriet Walter"], West End Theatre, 26 March 2024</ref>

==Biography==
In 1906, [[Bram Stoker]] published a two-volume biography about Irving called ''[[Personal Reminiscences of Henry Irving]]''.<ref name="irving">Stoker, Bram (1906). Personal Reminiscences of Henry Irving. A complete PDF version of the book can be downloaded from Bram Stoker Online. Retrieved from {{cite web|url=http://www.bramstoker.org/nonfic/irving.html |title=Personal reminiscences of henry irving |access-date=2010-01-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110624054519/http://bramstoker.org/nonfic/irving.html |archive-date=24 June 2011 }}.</ref>

==See also==
*[[Irving Family]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*[[Bram Stoker|Stoker, Bram]]. [https://archive.org/details/personalreminisc01stokiala ''Personal Reminiscences of Henry Irving: Volume 1''] and [https://archive.org/details/personalreminisc02stokiala ''Volume 2'']. London : W. Heinemann, 1906. Scanned books via [[Internet Archive]].
*[[William Archer (critic)|Archer, William]] 1885. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110804233836/http://books.google.com/books?id=taIVAAAAYAAJ Henry Irving, Actor and Manager: A Critical Study], London:Field & Tuer.
*[[Max Beerbohm|Beerbohm, Max]]. 1928. 'Henry Irving' in ''A Variety of Things.'' New York, Knopf.
*Holroyd, Michael. 2008. ''A Strange Eventful History'', Farrar Straus Giroux, {{ISBN|0-7011-7987-2}}
*Irving, Laurence. 1989. ''Henry Irving: The Actor and His World''. Lively Arts. {{ISBN|0-86287-890-X}}
* {{cite book|last=Anonymous|others=Illustrated by [[s:Author:Frederick Waddy|Frederick Waddy]]|title=Cartoon portraits and biographical sketches of men of the day|chapter=[[s:Cartoon portraits and biographical sketches of men of the day/Henry Irving|Henry Irving]]|year=1873|publisher=Tinsley Brothers|location=London|pages=52–53}}
*{{Citation
  |first=George   |last=Wilman
  |title=Sketches of living celebrities
  |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=alwBAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA1
  |year=1882  |publisher=Griffith and Farran |location=London
  |pages=1–14 |chapter=Henry Irving}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.theirvingsociety.org.uk/ The Irving Society]
*[http://www.henryirving.co.uk/ The Henry Irving Foundation]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080726233535/http://www.peopleplayuk.org.uk/guided_tours/drama_tour/19th_century/managers_irving.php Information about Irving at the PeoplePlay UK website]
*[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1896/05/24/108232358.pdf NY Times article that includes information about Irving's American tour and the lease of the Lyceum to the American company at the same time]
*[https://libros19blog.wordpress.com/2016/08/30/my-first-reading/ My First "Reading" by Henry Irving, an article written by Irving about a personal experience]
*[http://asp6new.alexanderstreet.com/atho/atho.detail.people.aspx?personcode=per0023035 Henry Irving ''North American Theatre Online''] with bio and pics
* [http://archives.nypl.org/the/21370 Henry Irving-Ellen Terry tour correspondence, 1884-1896], held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, [[New York Public Library for the Performing Arts]]
* {{Gutenberg author | id=36822| name=Henry Irving}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Henry Irving}}
* [https://rbscp.lib.rochester.edu/finding-aids/D181 Irving Disher Collection], Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, [[University of Rochester]]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Irving, Henry}}
[[Category:1838 births]]
[[Category:1905 deaths]]
[[Category:English male stage actors]]
[[Category:English male Shakespearean actors]]
[[Category:19th-century English male actors]]
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[[Category:Actors awarded knighthoods]]
[[Category:English people of Cornish descent]]
[[Category:People from South Somerset (district)]]
[[Category:Burials at Westminster Abbey]]
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[[Category:19th-century British theatre managers]]
[[Category:20th-century theatre managers]]
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