Ira Aldridge
Ira Aldridge was an American-born actor who, like many Black American artists, had to leave the country to find work, creative satisfaction and respect. Following several triumphant tours of Europe and Russia, Aldridge built a reputation as one of the greatest Shakespearean interpreters of his day.
Aldridge was born in 1807 into a free Black family in New York City. He began performing as a teenager under the direction of two Black American theater pioneers: William Henry Brown and James Hewlett, co-founders of America’s first Black theater company, the African Grove Theater, in 1821. The all-Black company specialized in Shakespeare’s tragedies and Hewlett became famous for being the first Black American actor to play “Othello,” a role historically played by white actors in blackface. Hewlett’s student, Ira Aldridge, was to become the next.
Aldridge, along with all the Black actors and theatrical producers, worked despite interruptions and harassment by white hooligans and police. There were violent attacks on the actors by white Americans incensed by Black performances of white-authored texts. Aldridge moved to England, where he toured for years. There, he became the first Black actor to play “Othello,” usually played by white actors in blackface.
Aldridge prevailed against the racism and violence that prevailed during the chaotic years leading up to and including the Civil War. He spoke out in favor of abolition and donated money to the cause, once helping to buy the freedom of a family from Baltimore. He subsequently became the victim of a sustained racist press campaign in London making it impossible to find work.
He sailed for Europe where he became an international success. He played “Othello,” “Macbeth,” “King Lear,” and Shylock in “The Merchant of Venice.” He toured Russia twice. He received rave reviews for his performances and pushed social boundaries by playing opposite white actresses.
Aldridge died in 1867 while on tour in Poland, where he is buried. Although he had planned an American tour following the end of the Civil War, he never returned.
