James William Wallack

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James William Wallack (c. 1794–1864), often called J. W. Wallack, was an English-born American actor and theatre manager. He came from a family of performers—the Wallacks—whose parents were comedians in London, with a sister named Elizabeth and a brother, Henry John Wallack. Wallack first appeared on stage as a child at the Surrey Theatre in London, then acted in juvenile roles at Drury Lane and later joined the same house as Laertes in Hamlet. He also worked in the British provinces and Ireland, gradually becoming popular as a reliable source for drama and comedy.

In 1823 he played Victor Frankenstein in Presumption; or, the Fate of Frankenstein at the English Opera House. A year later he became stage manager at Drury Lane and moved into secondary tragedy roles. He later appeared at the Haymarket Theatre and served as stage manager at the Princess’s Theatre. Wallack’s first trip to the United States was in 1818, where he performed Macbeth at the Park Theatre in New York. At first his big roles—Romeo, Shylock, Coriolanus, Hamlet, and Richard III—did not win him lasting praise, but in The Stranger, Pizarro and The Gamester he imitated Kemble and earned favorable notice. From 1818 to 1845 he performed in many American cities, taking leading parts in popular plays such as The Brigand, The Rent-Day, The Wonder, Don Cásar de Bazan, and Wild Oats, as well as refined comedy roles like Mercutio, Jaques, and Benedick. His singing of Love’s Ritornello in The Brigand became widely loved across the country.

In 1822 Wallack was seriously injured when a stagecoach overturned between New York and Philadelphia, breaking his leg. He was out of active work for about eighteen months and never fully recovered. From 1837 he ran the New York National Theatre, and when it burned down he rebuilt his career in New York City. In 1852 he settled there permanently and took over an 1850 theatre two blocks south of Broome Street on Broadway, renaming it Wallack’s Lyceum. In 1861 he built a new Wallack’s Theatre at 13th Street and Broadway. His son Lester Wallack later opened the third Wallack’s Theatre in 1882.

Wallack was an old-school actor known for a fine, melodious voice, flexible delivery, and excellent stagecraft. He was praised for his Shylock by Thackeray and for Don Cásar de Bazan by Joseph Jefferson. He was noted for his warm personality and strong presence in both refined and eccentric comedies, as well as for his memorable romantic dramas of his own creation.

In 1817 he married Susan Johnstone, a comic actress and daughter of John Henry Johnstone; she died in 1851. They had four sons, the eldest of whom, Lester Wallack, became a famous actor and theater manager. Wallack’s sister Elizabeth’s daughter Leonora Pincott married actor Alfred Wigan. James William Wallack died in 1864.