Charles Francis Coghlan (June 11, 1842 â€" November 27, 1899) was an
Anglo-Irish actor and playwright once popular on both sides of the
Atlantic Ocean.Charles F. Coghlan was born on June 11, 1842, in Paris,
France to British subjects, Francis (sometimes spelled Frances) and
Amie Marie (née Ruhly) Coghlan. His father, a native of Dublin,
Ireland, was the founder of Coghlan's Continental Dispatch and
publisher of Coghlan's Continental Guides, and counted among his
friends, Charles Dickens, Charles Reade, and other literary figures of
the day. Amie Coghlan was born on the English Channel Island of Jersey
sometime around 1821. Charles Coghlan was later raised in
Peterborough, Cambridgeshire and Hull, Yorkshire and though originally
groomed for a career in law he had chosen instead to be an actor
whilst still in his teens.Charles Coghlan began his stage career in
1859 as a minor player with the Sadler's Wells Theatre's summer tour.
During their engagement in Dublin, Ireland Coghlan approached John
Baldwin Buckstone, then manager of the Haymarket Theatre, with a play
he had written. Buckstone passed on the play, but instead gave him the
chance to play Monsieur Mafoi, a small role in “The Pilgrim of
Love†a play adapted by Lord Byron from Irving's “Legends of the
Alhambra†that opened at the Haymarket on April 9, 1860. Over the
following few seasons Coghlan would play a number of supporting roles
that steadily increased his stature as an actor. In 1868 he played
Charles Surface in Sheridan's "School for Scandal" at the St James's
Theatre and later that year played Sir Oscar opposite Adelaide Neilson
in Marston's “Life for Life†at the Prince of Wales Theatre.
Coghlan would remain with Prince of Wales over the next seven or eight
seasons playing leading roles such as Geoffrey Delamayn in Collins’
"Man and Wife†and Harry Speadbrow in Gilbert's Sweethearts.In 1876
Augustin Daly brought Coghlan to America where he would spend the
greater balance of his career. He made his Broadway debut on September
12, 1876, at the Fifth Avenue Theater, as Alfred Evelyn in Lord
Lytton's “Money†and was an instant success. Two months later, at
the same venue, Coghlan played Orlando opposite Fanny Davenport's
Rosalind in Shakespeare's As You Like It. The next season Coghlan was
engaged as the leading man at the Union Square Theater, where he
played Jean Remind during the successful run of Augustus R. Cazauran's
The Celebrated Case. He returned to London in 1881 to play Col. Woods,
U.S.A. in the long-running "The Colonel" produced at the Prince of
Wales. On December 13,1890 Coughlan was declared bankrupt He had
liabilities of £315. The pinnacle of Coghlan's near twenty-five-year
career in America came on December 2, 1898, at the Fifth Avenue
Theater in his own adaptation of the Dumas’ play Kean titled The
Royal Box, in which he played the part of the actor Clarence. This
great success was tempered the following year by the failure of his
play "Citizen Pierre", in which he made his last New York performance.
During his career Coghlan had played opposite his sister, Rose
Coghlan, and in support of Lillie Langtry and Minnie Maddern Fiske.
His last appearance on the stage was at Houston, Texas, on October 28,
1899, as Clarence in "The Royal Box".
Anglo-Irish actor and playwright once popular on both sides of the
Atlantic Ocean.Charles F. Coghlan was born on June 11, 1842, in Paris,
France to British subjects, Francis (sometimes spelled Frances) and
Amie Marie (née Ruhly) Coghlan. His father, a native of Dublin,
Ireland, was the founder of Coghlan's Continental Dispatch and
publisher of Coghlan's Continental Guides, and counted among his
friends, Charles Dickens, Charles Reade, and other literary figures of
the day. Amie Coghlan was born on the English Channel Island of Jersey
sometime around 1821. Charles Coghlan was later raised in
Peterborough, Cambridgeshire and Hull, Yorkshire and though originally
groomed for a career in law he had chosen instead to be an actor
whilst still in his teens.Charles Coghlan began his stage career in
1859 as a minor player with the Sadler's Wells Theatre's summer tour.
During their engagement in Dublin, Ireland Coghlan approached John
Baldwin Buckstone, then manager of the Haymarket Theatre, with a play
he had written. Buckstone passed on the play, but instead gave him the
chance to play Monsieur Mafoi, a small role in “The Pilgrim of
Love†a play adapted by Lord Byron from Irving's “Legends of the
Alhambra†that opened at the Haymarket on April 9, 1860. Over the
following few seasons Coghlan would play a number of supporting roles
that steadily increased his stature as an actor. In 1868 he played
Charles Surface in Sheridan's "School for Scandal" at the St James's
Theatre and later that year played Sir Oscar opposite Adelaide Neilson
in Marston's “Life for Life†at the Prince of Wales Theatre.
Coghlan would remain with Prince of Wales over the next seven or eight
seasons playing leading roles such as Geoffrey Delamayn in Collins’
"Man and Wife†and Harry Speadbrow in Gilbert's Sweethearts.In 1876
Augustin Daly brought Coghlan to America where he would spend the
greater balance of his career. He made his Broadway debut on September
12, 1876, at the Fifth Avenue Theater, as Alfred Evelyn in Lord
Lytton's “Money†and was an instant success. Two months later, at
the same venue, Coghlan played Orlando opposite Fanny Davenport's
Rosalind in Shakespeare's As You Like It. The next season Coghlan was
engaged as the leading man at the Union Square Theater, where he
played Jean Remind during the successful run of Augustus R. Cazauran's
The Celebrated Case. He returned to London in 1881 to play Col. Woods,
U.S.A. in the long-running "The Colonel" produced at the Prince of
Wales. On December 13,1890 Coughlan was declared bankrupt He had
liabilities of £315. The pinnacle of Coghlan's near twenty-five-year
career in America came on December 2, 1898, at the Fifth Avenue
Theater in his own adaptation of the Dumas’ play Kean titled The
Royal Box, in which he played the part of the actor Clarence. This
great success was tempered the following year by the failure of his
play "Citizen Pierre", in which he made his last New York performance.
During his career Coghlan had played opposite his sister, Rose
Coghlan, and in support of Lillie Langtry and Minnie Maddern Fiske.
His last appearance on the stage was at Houston, Texas, on October 28,
1899, as Clarence in "The Royal Box".
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