John Martin-Harvey

Who was John Martin-Harvey?

John Martin Harvey, known after his knighthood in 1921 as Sir John Martin-Harvey, was a romantic actor of the English theatre.

Born in Bath Street, Wivenhoe, Essex. He was the son of John Harvey, a yacht-designer and shipbuilder, and Margaret Diana Mary Goyder. His father expected him to follow his own profession, but Martin Harvey had his sights set on the stage.

One of his father's clients was the dramatist W.S. Gilbert, and it was through Gilbert that young "Jack" Martin Harvey met his first teacher, John Ryder.

Martin Harvey joined Sir Henry Irving's Lyceum Theatre company in 1882. For many years he played only minor parts in Irving's productions.

Martin Harvey's most famous play was first produced at the Lyceum on 16 February 1899. This was The Only Way, an adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities in which Martin Harvey played the lead role of Sydney Carton.

Many other plays followed and many tours in both Great Britain and North America. His success was always greater in Canada than the United States.

After Sir Henry Irving's death in 1905, Martin Harvey continued to revive his old manager's plays, often using Irving's own props which he had bought.