Charles Fisher

Charles Fisher (1816 – June 11, 1891) was an American stage actor and comedian. Born to a prolific theatrical family from Norfolk, England, Fisher went on to find success as an actor in different parts of England, and then from 1852 onwards in New York City where he worked as a highly regarded performer for almost 40 years in the companies of William E. Burton, Laura Keene, James William Walluck, and Augustin Daly.

Early life Fisher was born in Suffolk, England to a family of actors and performers who ran a travelling theatre company, Norfolk and Suffolk Company of Comedians (1792-1844), established by Fisher's grandfather David Fisher (I). The family owned, managed and performed in 13 theatres across Norfolk and Suffolk, with family members forming the majority of the cast and crew.

His parents, Jane Corby and Charles Fisher (1792–1869), married in 1814 and went on to have three children, Julia (1815-1892), Charles, and Frederick (b. 1820). His mother was an actor with the family, and Charles Snr. was an instrumentalist who later took on the management of the company following the death of David Fisher (I). Julia went on to be an actor, and Frederick a scenic painter.

Career

England After working for the family, he made his London debut in 1844 at the Princess's Theatre, spending the next seven years working in different parts of England. In 1868 he starred in The Lottery of Life as Mordie Solomons. In 1870 he played Colonel Crafton in Charles Gayler's Fritz, Our Cousin German in 1870. In 1875 he played Matthew Standish in Daly's Pique, the play was popular with audiences and financially successful but critical response varied from "highly laudatory puff pieces to accusations of excessive sentiment and irritating sensationalism". He also had success in the 1875 hit play The Big Bonanza.

It was at this time that in 1876 he married his second wife, the significantly younger Josephine H. Shaw (d.1907), stage name Josephine Boone, from Baltimore, who was a fellow actor in Daly's company.

His last appearance on stage before retiring was in 1890 at the Lyceum Theatre in London as Adam in As You Like It.

His obituary in The New York Times'' described him as "a man of commanding presence, tall, erect, broad-shouldered. His voice, in his young days, was rich and strong. In his prime he invariably satisfied the eye exactly as the heroes of the romantic drama. In his later years he was seen to the best advantage in eccentric comedy parts. He was, throughout his career, however, a "good all-around actor", never approaching greatness, lacking the temperament and intellectual force needed in such a character as Falstaff, but a player of sound methods and good natural qualifications." He was survived by his second wife, the actress Josephine Boone Fisher.

His great-granddaughters were the actresses Blanche Ring, Frances Ring and Julie Ring who appeared on the Boston Museum Theatre stage as children. His great-grandson was Cyril Ring (1892-1967) a prolific character actor in Hollywood films.