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Robert Baddeley (actor)

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For the British soldier, seeRobert Baddeley (British Army officer).

Robert Baddeley as Moses inSheridan'sThe School for ScandalbyJohann Zoffanyc.1781

Robert Baddeley(1733–1794) was anEnglishactor.[1]His parentage is unknown, as is his place of birth, though the latter may have beenLondon.He worked as a cook and valet, and one of his employers was the actor-managerSamuel Foote,who may have inspired him to take to the stage. He spent three years following another employer on aGrand Tour,which helped him to develop the facility with languages and accents which was to be a hallmark of his career.

In 1760 Baddeley made his stage debut in one of Foote's productions at theHaymarket Theatrein London. Soon afterwards he trod the boards of theTheatre Royal, Drury Laneand theSmock Alley TheatreinDublin.By 1762 he was a full member of the Drury Lane company, and he remained there for the rest of his career, while also playing summer seasons at the Haymarket. He was a great success in low comedy and servants' parts, and often played comic foreigners such as Canton inThe Clandestine Marriage.In 1777 he played Moses inThe School for Scandal,which came to be the role with which he was most associated.[2]

Baddeley's wife,Sophia Baddeley,exceeded him in fame.[1]The couple had a troubled relationship. At one point Baddeley insisted that Sophia stop living with one Doctor Hayes, and in the financial negotiations that followed Baddeley ended up fighting a duel withDavid Garrick's brother and business manager George, who had disputed his version of events. No one was injured and a separation was agreed.

Baddeley continued acting until just before his death. A sufferer ofepilepsy,he was taken ill on 19 November 1794 while preparing to play Moses inThe School for Scandal[3]and he died the following day. He bequeathed £3 per annum to provide wine and cake in thegreen roomof Drury Lane Theatre onTwelfth Night.[4]The ceremony of the "Baddeley Cake" has remained a regular institution.[1]

The 20th-century actress sistersAngela BaddeleyandHermione Baddeleyare no relations.[5]

Selected roles

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Notes

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  1. ^abcEwbank, Anne (5 January 2019)."How £100 Bought an Obscure British Actor 224 Years of Cake and Fame".Gastro Obscura.Atlas Obscura.Retrieved5 January2019.
  2. ^Broadbent, R. J. (1908).Annals of the Liverpool Stage,p. 41. Edward Howell.
  3. ^Hickman, Katie (2003).Courtesans: Money, Sex and Fame in the Nineteenth Century,p. 35. HarperCollins Publishers.
  4. ^Genest, John (1832).Some Account of the English Stage: From the Restoration in 1660 to 1830,Vol. VII, pp. 193–94. H. E. Carrington.
  5. ^Angela and Hermione Baddeley are descendants of Sir Henry Clinton and his partner, Mary Baddeley, née O'Callaghan, through their son William Clinton-Baddeley (see e.g. Will of Sir Henry Clinton of Corpham, Shropshire, National Archives,PROB 11/1271/91) and no relations to Robert Baddeley.

References

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