David Garrick
British, 1717 - 1779
Person TypeIndividual
BiographyDavid Garrick was born on February 19, 1717, at the Angel Inn, Hereford, the third of seven surviving children of Arabella Clough (d.1738) and her husband Peter Garrick (d.1737), a lieutenant in the army. As a boy, he attended Lichfield grammar school, and around 1728 he made a brief stay in Lisbon to learn the vintners trade from an uncle. In 1736 Garrick and his younger brother George (d.1779) enrolled at Samuel Johnson's short-lived school at Edial, and in 1737 he and Johnson journeyed to London to seek their fortunes. Garrick established a wine business with his elder brother Peter, but abandoned it in 1741 after receiving acclaim for his performances as Richard III with a small acting troupe. He made his debut at Drury Lane theater on October 5, 1742 and continued to perform there for the next thirty-four years. On January 7, 1744 he took the lead in Macbeth "as written by Shakespeare," having restored much original material that had been excised or rewritten. In April 1747 he became joint manager of Drury Lane. On June 22, 1749 he married the Viennese dancer Eva Marie Veigel (1724-1822), and in the same year he revived Romeo and Juliet, which had not been performed in London for eighty years. Garrick advanced from success to success, but relentless controversy and occasional riots led to a temporary retirement at the close of the 1762-3 season. He and his wife had visited Paris in 1751 and they returned there in September 1763, continuing on to Rome, Naples, Venice, and Munich. In late April 1765 they were back in London, and Garrick's first appearances at Drury Lane that November were greeted with wild enthusiasm. He had long counted the cultural and aristocratic elite of Britain among his closest friends, and his social successes were as impressive as his theatrical achievements. Garrick's health began to decline around 1766, causing frequent bouts of severe pain. He made his farewell appearance at Drury Lane on June 10, 1776, and although he continued to provide theatrical advice, he devoted himself primarily to social calls and convalescence. He died on January 20, 1779 at his house in Adelphi Terrace, London, leaving a fortune estimated at £100,000. His tomb lies at the foot of Shakespeare's statue in Westminster Abbey.
