Booth, Edwin (Thomas)

(born Nov. 13, 1833, near Belair, Md., U.S.—died June 7, 1893, New York, N.Y.) U.S. actor. Born into a noted theatrical family, he played his first starring roles in Boston and New York City in 1857. He became famous as Hamlet, appearing in the role for 100 consecutive nights in 1864–65. When his brother John Wilkes Booth assassinated Pres. Abraham Lincoln, Edwin withdrew from the stage until 1866. In 1869 he opened his own theatre, but mismanagement forced him to sell it in 1873. His interpretations of Hamlet, Iago, and King Lear won great acclaim in England and Germany. He founded the Players' Club in New York in 1888.

Source: Encyclopedia Britannica