The black doctor ira aldridge

Ira Frederick Aldridge was an American and later British stage actor and playwright who made his career after 1824, largely in London and in Europe and is most famous for his Shakespearean roles.

Born in New York City, Aldridge went to the African Free School in New York City at aged 13.

The school was established by the New York Manumission Society for the children of free Black people and slaves. They were given a classical education, with the study of English grammar, writing, mathematics, geography, and astronomy.

Aldridge’s first professional acting experience was in the early 1820s with the African Company, a group founded and managed by William Henry Brown and James Hewlett.

Aldridge made his acting debut as Rolla, a Peruvian character in Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s Pizarro and according to the 1860’s memoir of Dr James McCune Smith, Ira may have also taken the male lead in Romeo and Juliet.

Aldridge emigrated to Liverpool in 1824 with actor Ja