Henry Erskine Johnston

Henry Erskine Johnston (1777–1838?) was a Scottish actor given the sobriquet The Edinburgh Roscius.

Early life Born in Edinburgh in May 1777 the son of a former barber on the High Street, his father was allegedly shaving Henry Erskine when he received news of his son's birth. John Kay alternatively states his father Robert Johnston (d.1826) thereafter ran the oyster tavern next to the Theatre Royal at Shakespeare Square in Edinburgh.

He was apprenticed to a lawyer but did not enjoy this and joined a linen draper for three years. He made his first appearance on the Edinburgh stage as an amateur in the part of Prince Hamlet, 9 July 1794. In 1797 while reciting "Collins Ode on the Passions" he came to the attention of Stephen Kemble who acted as his mentor; the Thespian Dictionary claimed that he also played Harlequin. His success was immediate. After playing a few nights, he crossed the sea to Dublin, where he acted twelve nights, appearing on seven of them as Norval in Douglas by John Home.

At Covent Garden Johnston's first appearance in London took place at Covent Garden Theatre, in Douglas, 23 October 1797. He was praised in the European Review. He remained at Covent Garden, with summer engagements at the Haymarket Theatre, until the season of 1802–3.

With seven other actors, Johnston signed the statement of grievances against the management of Covent Garden. After the dismissal of Joseph George Holman, he is said to have owed his re-engagement to John Fawcett, who refused to renew his contract otherwise. As Norval in Douglas he made, 15 September 1803, his first appearance at Drury Lane, playing Anhalt in Lovers' Vows by Elizabeth Inchbald on 22 September, to the Amelia of his wife. There he remained for two years, playing among other characters Petruchio and Duke Aranza in The Honey Moon (John Tobin). He returned to Covent Garden 13 October 1805, as the original Rugantino in Monk Lewis's Rugantino. On 24 November 1821 he was at the Olympic the Solitary in Le Solitaire, or the Recluse of the Alps, by James Robinson Planché, apparently his last appearance in London.

In 1838 he sailed to the United States with circus owner Andrew Ducrow and nothing more was heard of him.

Family In 1796, Johnston married Nanette Parker (b.1782), by whom he had six children. She first saw Johnston acting in "The Storming of Seringapatan" at the Theatre Royal, Edinburgh and instantly fell in love with him, aged only 14. They married shortly before her 15th birthday.

She acted with her husband in Ireland as Lady Contest in the Wedding Day and Josephine in the Children in the Wood. She appeared as Ophelia to her husband's Hamlet at the Haymarket, 3 September 1798, and on the 17th repeated the character at Covent Garden, where she played parts in comedy and in tragedy, including Lady Macbeth.