Nathaniel Bannister

Nathaniel Harrington Bannister (January 13, 1813 – November 2, 1847) was an American actor and playwright, one of the better American playwrights of his day.

Nathaniel Bannister
BornNathaniel Harrington Bannister
(1813-01-13)January 13, 1813
Delaware, United States
DiedNovember 2, 1847(1847-11-02) (aged 34)
New York City, New York, United States
OccupationActor and playwright
LanguageEnglish
SpouseAmelia Greene Legge

Bannister wrote over 40 plays, including the very popular Putnam, the Iron Son of '76 (1844) about the American Revolutionary War hero Israel Putnam which played for 78 consecutive nights in New York at the Bowery Theatre (produced by Thomas S. Hamblin), an astounding success for its time.[1][2] The bulk of Bannister's many works, only some of which were published, are historical dramas.

Bannister was born in Delaware (some sources report Maryland) in 1813, and made his first appearance on stage in Baltimore at age 16 in the role of Young Norval. He died in poverty in New York on November 2, 1847.[3][4][5][6][7]

Bannister was married to actress Amelia Greene, who was previously married to John Augustus Stone.[8][9][10]

Plays (incomplete list)
  • Rathanemus (1835, New Orleans)
  • Gaulantus the Gault (1836)
  • The Destruction of Jerusalem (1837)
  • England's Iron Days (1837)
  • The Gentleman of Lyons, or the Marriage Contract (1837)
  • The Maine Question (1839)
  • Titus Andronicus (1839, adaptation)
  • Old English Ironsides
  • Robert Emmett
  • Murrell, the Land Pirate
  • Roman Slaves
  • Two Spaniards
  • Caius Silius
  • Psammetichus, or the Twelve Tribes of Egypt (written for Edwin Forrest)
  • The Wandering Jew
  • Washington
  • Infidelity
  • Gustavani
  • The Fall of San Antonio
  • Tis Freedom's Call
  • Adventures of a Sailor
  • The Serpent's Glen
  • The Midnight Murder
  • Surrender of Lord Cornwallis
  • Chief of the McIvor
  • Texas and Freedom
  • Life in New Orleans
  • The Three Brothers: Or Crime Its Own Avenger (one act)
  • Putnam, the Iron Son of '76 (1844)[3]
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See also

References
  1. Paterson, Alexander D. (August 24, 1844). "The Drama". The Anglo American, Vol. 3., No. 18. p. 429. (via Google Books).
  2. (October 19, 1844). The Drama. p. 618 (noting that Putnam is still playing).
  3. (1995). The Cambridge Guide to Theatre. p. 76.
  4. Ireland, Joseph (1867). Records of the New York Stage, from 1750 to 1860, Vol. II. pp. 205, 417.
  5. Berg, Albert Ellery (1884). The Drama, Painting, Poetry, and Song. p. 265.
  6. Rees, James (1845). The Dramatic Authors of America. pp. 35–36.
  7. (November 2, 1847). "Died". New York Evening Post.
  8. Brown, T. Allston (1903). A History of the New York Stage, Vol. I. p. 314.
  9. (November 18, 1873). "Mrs. Amelia Bannister – The Funeral of an Actress Who Graced the Boards Half a Century Ago". The Sun.
  10. Conner, William H. (April 10, 1949). "Who Was Nat Bannister, Playwright?". Sunday Morning Star (Wilmington, Delaware). (in depth article about Bannister, questioning whether he was raised in Delaware or Maryland).
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