Identity:

Henry James Byron was a dramatist and actor.

Life:

As a young man Byron abandoned a career in medicine for the stage and took to writing burlesque pieces such as 'Richard Ceur de Lion' (1857). He scored his first success with 'Fra Diavolo' the following year and went on to produce a number of other burlesques in London West End theatres. He also played roles in his productions - FitzAltamont in 'The Prompter's Box,' (Adelphi Theatre, 1870), Gibson Greene in 'Married in Haste,' (Haymarket Theatre, 1875) and Dick Simpson in 'Conscience Money,' (Haymarket, 1878). He was known for his verbal dexterity and one-liners although the themes of his plays were generally unadventurous. Later he took to theatre management and journalism.

Bibliography:

MacDonald, Margaret F., James McNeill Whistler. Drawings, Pastels and Watercolours. A Catalogue Raisonné, New Haven and London, 1995; Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford, 2004, on-line edition, (accessed 2 June 2004).