Edward Alleyn

Edward Alleyn (pronounced /ˈælɪn/) (1 September 1566 – 25 November 1626) was an English actor who was a major figure of the Elizabethan theatre and founder of Dulwich College and Alleyn's School. He was born in Bishopsgate, London, the son of an innkeeper, and baptised at St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate. He was known to contemporaries as "Ned"; his surname is variously spelled Allen or Alleyne. It is not known at what date he began to act, but in ... more

Edward Alleyn (pronounced /ˈælɪn/) (1 September 1566 – 25 November 1626) was an English actor who was a major figure of the Elizabethan theatre and founder of Dulwich College and Alleyn's School. He was born in Bishopsgate, London, the son of an innkeeper, and baptised at St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate. He was known to contemporaries as "Ned"; his surname is variously spelled Allen or Alleyne. It is not known at what date he began to act, but in 1583 his name was on the list of the Earl of Worcester's players. He was eventually rated by common consent as the foremost actor of his time; his only close rival was Richard Burbage. He played the title roles in three of Christopher Marlowe's major plays: Faustus, Tamburlaine, and Barabas in The Jew of Malta. He created the parts, which were probably written especially for him. The evidence for his stage career is otherwise fragmentary. Other parts thought to be associated with Alleyn are Orlando in Robert Greene's Orlando Furioso, and... less