Famous American Theater Personalities
What is that one thing that binds legendary actors like Bruce Willis, Daniel Radcliffe, Jon Hamm and Kevin Spacey together? No, it’s not just Hollywood and films, but their penchant for theatre and love for stage. Over the centuries, since the first time theatre rumblings took America by a storm in the Eighteenth Century, it has remained close to the country’s heart. History says that drama was first introduced in this country by the Hallams in the year 1752 when they brought over a company from London and presented The Merchant of Venice at Williamsburg, then the capital of Virginia, in a building arranged for that purpose. However, the truth of this is debatable. Never mind when theatre spread its wings in the nation, what is important is the wad of well authenticated dramatic performances that have been performed in the American soil ever since. Explore this collection of biographies to know the timelines, life stories and interesting trivia & facts related to the lives of some of the most famous and successful American theatre personalities.
This ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.
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Famous As: Actor
Birthdate: February 2, 1949
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Houston, Texas, USA
Famous As: Actress
Birthdate: May 7, 1923
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Michigan City
Died: December 12, 1985
Anne Baxter is best remembered for her Academy Award- and Golden Globe-winning performance as Sophie MacDonald in The Razor's Edge. Her other notable projects were the film All About Eve and the series The Name of the Game. She also actively participated in Republican campaigns.
Famous As: Actor
Birthdate: May 10, 1970
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Houston, Texas, USA
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Famous As: Actor
Birthdate: January 31, 1947
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Glynn Turman is an American actor, filmmaker, and writer. In a career spanning over 60 years. Some of the notable characters that he has portrayed are: Lew Miles in the movie Peyton Place, Leroy Jackson in the film Cooley High, and Bradford Taylor in the sitcom A Different World. He has also won several awards like the NAACP Image Award.
Famous As: Actor
Birthdate: January 31, 1986
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Greenwich, Connecticut, United States
Christopher Abbott is best known as Charlie Dattolo from Girls and as Mason Tannetti from The Sinner. He also had significant roles in the miniseries Catch-22 and the films First Man and James White. He is also a talented stage actor and has appeared in both Broadway and off-Broadway plays.
Famous As: Actress
Birthdate: May 16, 1909
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
Died: January 1, 1960
Famous As: Actor
Birthdate: December 13, 1908
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Walters, Oklahoma, United States
Died: July 23, 1971
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Famous As: Film Producer
Birthdate: July 14, 1958
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA
Famous As: Actress
Birthdate: September 6, 1936
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Lowell, Indiana, United States
Famous As: Comedian, Musician, Voice actor, Actor, Television actor
Birthdate: August 12, 1907
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: St. Louis
Died: March 1, 1988
Famous As: Actress, Singer
Birthdate: December 1, 1913
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Weatherford, Texas, U.S.
Died: November 3, 1990
Famous As: American Actress & Acting Teacher
Birthdate: February 10, 1901
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: New York City, New York, U.S.
Died: December 21, 1992
Famous As: Actress
Birthdate: October 18, 1902
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
Died: October 9, 1972
Miriam Hopkins was an American actress widely regarded as a pioneer of TV drama. She became the first performer to earn an Academy Award nomination for a performance in a color film; she was nominated under the Best Actress category for her portrayal of the title role in the 1935 historical drama film, Becky Sharp.
Famous As: Executive
Birthdate: December 12, 1881
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Krasnosielc
Died: December 27, 1958
Famous As: Actress
Birthdate: August 19, 2004
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Kauai, Hawaii, United States
Famous As: Actress
Birthdate: March 21, 1963
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Burbank, California, United States
Famous As: Actor
Birthdate: November 18, 1969
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Rochester, Minnesota
Famous As: Actor, Screenwriter, Stage actor
Birthdate: October 1, 1896
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Kaufman
Died: December 21, 1937
Famous As: Actor
Birthdate: April 26, 1988
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Connecticut
Annie Starke, daughter of actor Glenn Close, is best known for her recurring role of Lily Cartwright in the Netflix series Ratched. She has also appeared in films such as We Don’t Belong Here and The Wife. A skilled equestrian, she has won the Children's Modified Jumper Championship at 15.
Famous As: Actress & Producer
Birthdate: October 21, 1949
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Famous As: Actress
Birthdate: August 7, 1902
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Died: September 1, 1981
Famous As: Businesspeople, Casting director
Birthdate: January 28, 1929
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: September 22, 2003
Famous As: Actress
Birthdate: December 2, 1925
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Grosse Pointe, Michigan, U.S.
Died: August 24, 2013
Famous As: Impresario
Birthdate: September 6, 1899
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: February 10, 1966
Famous As: Actress
Birthdate: September 13, 1904
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Patten, Maine, U.S.
Died: December 8, 1954
Famous As: Film Director
Birthdate: March 2, 1914
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: New York City, New York, U.S.
Died: December 8, 1990
Famous As: Opera Singer & Actress
Birthdate: December 5, 1898
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Del Rio, Tennessee, United States
Died: January 26, 1947
Famous As: Film & Stage Director, Writer
Birthdate: October 5, 1908
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Texarkana, Texas, United States
Died: July 12, 1988
Famous As: Actress
Birthdate: September 3, 1918
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Lubbock, Texas, United States
Died: May 1, 2010
Famous As: Actress
Birthdate: June 21, 1896
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Dickinson, North Dakota, United States
Died: June 2, 1998
Famous As: Actor
Birthdate: October 26, 1844
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: June 6, 1911
Famous As: Theatrical producer
Birthdate: March 12, 1910
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan,United States
Died: February 2, 1998
Famous As: Playwright
Birthdate: July 20, 1838
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Plymouth, North Carolina, United States
Died: June 7, 1899
Famous As: Theatrical Producer
Birthdate: July 24, 1920
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States
Died: April 22, 2000
Famous As: American theatre director
Birthdate: May 7, 1933
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: New York City, New York
Died: October 2, 2016
Famous As: Theatrical producer
Birthdate: December 15, 1904
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Died: September 20, 1976
Famous As: Stage Director
Birthdate: September 20, 1924
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: September 4, 2012
Famous As: Actress
Birthdate: January 1, 1970
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York City, New York
Famous As: Actor
Birthdate: 1750 AD
Birthplace: France
Died: 1812 AD
Born to French travelling acrobats, Alexander Placide initially gained fame as a tightrope walker at Louis XVI’s court. A professional dancer and entertainer, he later moved to the U.S. and led the Charleston Theatre. His shows included ballets, pantomime dramas, and fencing tournaments. He later married opera singer Charlotte Wrighten Placide.
Famous As: Actress
Birthdate: June 26, 1982
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: United States