James Henry Hackett

Who was James Henry Hackett?

James Henry Hackett, was a renowned actor.

Hackett entered Columbia College in 1815 but withdrew. He then studied law privately. In 1818, he became a wholesale clerk in a grocery firm in New York. In 1819, he married Catherine Leebuff, a young actress. After an unsuccessful entry into business, he went on the stage in March 1826 playing the role of Justice Woodcock in Love of a Village. He played opposite his wife in the play. He soon established a reputation as a player of eccentric character parts. The next year, he played at the Covent Garden in London with success. He traveled back and forth between the United States and Britain, achieving a reputation in the works of Shakespeare, particularly Falstaff.

As a manager and impresario, he is remembered, among other things, for having engaged the troupe of Italian opera singers who formed the nucleus of the first season of the Academy of Music in New York City. After that, he appeared only rarely on the public stage. He was the author of Notes and Comments on Shakespeare.

He was the father of Recorder John K. Hackett and actor James Keteltas Hackett.