Frances Brett Hodgkinson

Frances Brett Hodgkinson (1771–1803) was an English-born American theater actress. She played major roles in high comedy and tragedy plays and was also a noted performer of opera. She was the second wife of John Hodgkinson, a famous American stage actor.

Biography Hodgkinson was born in 1771 in England to a family of performers. Her parents, William and Hannah, also referred to as Mr. and Mrs. Brett, were both stage actors and were prominent performers of the Bath-Bristol company and Foote's Haymarket. In 1790, English actor John Hodgkinson moved from Exeter to join the Bath-Bristol company and eventually became the lead actor of the troupe. This is where he met the then Frances Brett. Hodgkinson was married to his first wife and for this reason, he emigrated to the United States to marry Frances Brett. According to Dunlap, those around her had the impression that she was compelled to perform. Illustration of John Hodgkinson, Frances Hodgkinson's husband. The Hodgkinsons sailed to America in 1792 An account by William Dunlap described Frances Hodgkinson as a versatile actress, who "surpassed all her contemporaries in rustic comedy and singing parts, in chambermaids and soubrettes." By 1800, the pair became the highest-paid performers in American stage history.

One of Hodgkinson's notable performances in America was Manana, a part in Ann Hatton's opera ''Tammany.