Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-08-17
LONGEVITY OF ACTORS.
MANY OF THEM LIVE TO A VERY
RIPE OLD AGE.
They Take Quite as Good Care of Them
selves as Other PeopIe-Some
Interesting Records.
Boston Herald

lDOslOu
There appeared few days since brief
article, which took the ground that "the
late hours into the night which it is neces-
sary for the actor to keep, and the excite
ment attending the work of the profession,
to say nothing of breathing the bad air Of
the theater in front of the stage, and being
subjected, when heated, to the draughts
on and behind it, would, in any ordinary
process or reasoning, argue i'll for long life
to an actor. Yet the late John Gilbert is
only one of several instances proving that,
where actors take ordinary care of them
selves, they are long-lived in their calling.
The early deaths in it are mostly to be
traced to excuses or indiscretion" Time
was when the argument might apply, but
nowadays it has 10 apparent significance.
Owing to the present state of our drama
the desire on the part of our audience to
see but one piece acted of a night, the run
Of that piece sometimes for an entire sea-
son, and the added desire for the close of
the performance at an early hour-there
keep later hours than do his audiences,
and, in a great majority of instances, he
can seek his pillow at much earlier
period if he so desire.
At the present time there exists no ne
cessity for the actor to consume the mid
night taper in studying a new part for the
morrow evenings performance. All that
is changed. During the run of the piece
he has not, at the utmost, more than three
hours work before him out of the twenty
four. In this respect he enjoys happy
lot far in excess of the journalist, the law
yer, the physician, and almost all the
devotees of the liberal professions. He
certainly inhales no more bad air of night
than does the audience, and he is to the
full longer-lived than his average auditor.
The records of the stage &C to prove this.
John Gilbert, instead of being "only one of
several instances proving that where
actors take ordinary care of themselves
they are long-lived in their calling" is one
Of the great majority that has established
~: lie rule beyond doubt.
The writer has probably seen as much OF
actors and actresses as the next man living
in Boston. He is familiar with their
good care of themselves as do other indi-
viduals, and are to the full quite as solicit
Gus as 10 the state of their health. They
take constitutional walks daily, in all sea
sons and in all weather; they practice
out-ofdo sports, and, though their calling
in a physical point of view, is not SO labori-
Gus as that Of the mechanic, they take
as much, if not
MORE BODILY EXERCISE,
And inhale daily vaster quantity of
health-giving ozone. For the purpose of
showing to what age the actor in general
averages, below is given a list of some of
the best known and respected of the pro-
fession, with the dates of their birth and
death, taking none less than 40 years:
Ira Aldridge, the negro tragedian, born
in 1904, died in Lodez, Poland, August 7,
1875.
G. A. Amherst, born 1776, died August
y, 1915.
Geo. H. Andrews, born 1898, died April
7, 1S60-68.
Thos. Archer, born 1776, died May, 1913
SO.
Margaret Ayling lives in Boston, aged
20.
Andrew Jackson Allen, born December,
1776, died October 90, 1857.
Giles L. Barrett, born 1744, died No
vember IS, 1906; Geo. H, his son
Gentleman George, born January 9, 1894,
died September 5, 1S60-66.
George BARLEY, born 1884, died July
%, 1854.
Charles Bass, born March ), 1903, died
May s. 1863-60.
VIM. H. Bellamy, born August 5, 1900
died April 10, lS66-66.
John Bernard, born IN 1856, died No
vember 90, 1882.
Francis Blissit, born in 1873, died in
IS50-77.
Dion Boucicault lives at the age of69.
John Branham, the greatest of all En-
glish operate singers, born June 20, 1774,
died February II, 1S56-82.
William +. Brough, born 1898, died May
q, I857-69
John Brougham, born May 8, 1914, died
june 7, 1SS0-65.
Watkins Burroughs, born in 1895, died
July Y, 1S69-74
James H. Caldwell, born in 1898, died
September II, 1863-70.
William Chapman, born in 1869, died
August, 1870.
Thomas Conner, born December 10, 1890,
died July 81, 1922.
Henry ]. Conway, born 1900, died April
u, $1,000.
Thomas Apthorp Cooper, born 1915,
died April 81, 1873.
Charles Walter Couldoek, born April %,
1915, still lives and acts, at the age of "a
Joseph Cowell, born August Z, 1892, died
November IA. lS63-7l
Mrs, II. Cramer, born in 1903, died May
80, 1866.
William Creswick, born 1913, died June,
lS8s-75.
Charlotte Cushman, born July %, 1916,
died February IS, 1S76-60.
Edward L. Davenport, born 1916, died
September l, 1S77-6I.
William p. Davldge, born. April q,
1914, died 1SSS-74.
James A. Dickson, born IVA, died April
/, 1850.
William Dowton, born 1765, died 1916
81.
Samuel Drake, born I've, died 1878.
Mrs. John Drew lives and acts in her
list year, she having been born in 1918.
Harry Edwards is in harness at 65-born
September 8, 1924
Ihomas fanlkner, corn IN l'Io, died
March 6, 1919.
Henry J. Finn, born 1885, died Noyem-
Der II, 1876.
Edwin Forrest, born March 9, 1906, died
December y, lS72-66.
John Gibbs Gilbert, born February y,
1910, died June II, 1SS9-79. His first
wife, Mrs. Campbell (nee Maria Deth) was
born in Philadelphia in 1906, died in New
York. April y, lS66-60.
Isabella Glynn, born in 1928, died in
1SS9-66.
Mrs. John Greene, born March %, 1900,
died January 10, 1922.
George H. Griffin, still acting, was born
in 1922, and is now 81.
James II. Hackett, born March Is, 1900,