Mary Porter (actress)
Mary Porter (died 24 February 1765) was an English actress.
Life
[edit]She was brought to the attention of Betterton by Elizabeth Barry, who had seen her play the Fairy Queen at Bartholomew Fair.[1]
In his company she made her first appearance in 1699, in tragedy, in which she was at her best, although she also played a long list of comedy parts. When her friends, Mrs Barry, Mrs Bracegirdle and Mrs Oldfield, had retired from the stage, she was left its undisputed queen.[1]
In 1713 she appeared in John Gay's comedy The Wife of Bath at Drury Lane. In 1724 she featured in his tragedy The Captives as Astarbe, Queen of Media.
Selected roles
[edit]- Mirabel in The Rival Fools by Colley Cibber (1709)
- Alicia in Jane Shore by Nicholas Rowe (1714)
- Lady Woodvill in The Non-Juror by Colley Cibber (1717)
- Eudocia in The Siege of Damascus by John Hughes (1720)
- Astarbe in The Captives by John Gay (1724)
References
[edit]- ^ a b Chisholm 1911.
- Attribution
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Porter, Mary". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
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