Nat C. Goodwin, Actor

Nathaniel Carl Goodwin Jr, best known as Nat Goodwin, was born in Boston July 25, 1857. While he was a schoolboy and a student at the Little Blue Academy in Farmington, Me., he was noted for his ability as a mimic. He was graduated by the college in 1873 and became a clerk in the dry goods store of Wellington Brothers in Boston. After two months there he became a clerk in an upholsterer's shop. He remained there a month, and then entered upon his stage career. His chief desire, from the day he had first recognized his prowess as a mimic, had been to be an actor, and through his college and clerkship days he had studied Shakespeare and taken lessons in dramatic art. When he left the upholsterer he gave dramatic readings for a time and then obtained a place at Niblo's Garden, New York, as general utility man. He next went to the Boston Museum to fill a like place. He made his first legitimate appearance, and fainted for the first and last time in his life, at the Providence Opera House with William Henderson's stock company. He was cast for the part of Sir George Hounslow in a melodrama, "The Bottle." When his cue came he rushed to the stage, raised his arm and opened his lips to speak. But no sound came from them. He was so overcome by stage fright that he dropped unconscious. He next found himself on a train-wig, grease paint, stage costume and all-bound for Boston. This experience for a time banished all thoughts of a stage career, and Mr. Goodwin again became a clerk, this time in a shoe store. But the old longing soon reasserted itself, and he resumed giving his mimicry at public and private entertainments. The late Stuart Robson happened to see him at one of these entertainments and prevailed on John B. Stetson, who was about to star Robson in "Law in New York" at the Howard Athenaeum, Boston, to engage Mr. Goodwin to appear as a shoeblack and give his imitations of well-known actors, at a salary of five dollars a week. He was so successful in this, really his debut, that Joseph Bradford wrote a sketch for him, "The Rehearsal," in which he again appeared at the Athenaeum. In 1875 he made his first New York appearance in a speaking part at Tony Pastor.'s Theatre. Soon afterward he appeared with Miss Minnie Palmer at the Fourteenth Street Theatre. He played Captain Crosstree in "Black-Eyed Susan" and was then engaged by Edward E. Rice to create the part of Captain Dietrich in "Evangeline." He did so well in this that he was soon playing the leading part, that of Le Blanc, which he continued to do for three years. After playing the Pirate Chief in Rice's production of "The Corsair: and in "Pippins" a burlesque by J. Cheever Goodwin, he organized in 1877 a company under the name of the Froliques, and with this he appeared for the next three years, presenting, among other plays, "Cruets," "Hobbies," "Rambles: and "Ripples." In 1880 he made a tour with "The Member for Slocum." In 1882 Mr. Goodwin again became his own manager, and in the next few years produced many of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas: "Confusion," "The Skating Rink," "Big Pony," "Ourselves," "The Black Flag," "Sparks," "A Gay Deceiver," "Colonel Tom," "Turned Up," "A Royal Revenge," "Lend Me Five Shillings," "A Midsummer Night's Dream," in which he was the Bottom, and "The Viper on the Hearth." In May, 1883, he played Modus in "The Hunchback," and the First Gravedigger in "Hamlet" at the Cincinnati Dramatic Festival. About this time he also played Marc Antony in "' Julius Caesar" at a benefit for Tony Hart in New York. In 1889-90 he produced Henry Guy Carleton's "A Gilded Fool" and brought out "A Gold Mine" in London, and also played a cockney part in "The Bookmaker" under the management of George Edwardes. In May, 1890, he produced for the first time at Portland, Ore., "The Nominee" in which he created one of the most successful characters of his career, and which later had a long run at the Bijou Theatre, New York. In 1893, he produced and starred in Augustus Thomas' In Mizzoura which was written specially for him. In 1896 he was the Sir Lucius O'Trigger in an all star cast revival of "The Rivals" and produced Madeleine Lucette Ryley 's "An American Citizen." In 1898 he produced Clyde Fitch's "Nathan Hale" and in 1899 he went to London under the management of Charles Frohman, where he appeared with his wife, Maxine Elliott, in Clyde Fitch's "The Cowboy and the Lady." In February, 1900, he produced "When We Were Twenty-one" supported by Miss Elliott, at the Knickerbocker Theatre, New York. "Gringoire," "David Garrick: "In Mizzoura," and " Ambition" were other plays which he produced at this time. In twelve years he had created thirty-one different characters. In 1901 he made an elaborate production of "The Merchant of Venice" playing the role of Shylock, opening at the Knickerbocker Theatre, New York, and taking the production on tour. The same season he presented "The Altar of Friendship: by Madeleine Lucette Ryley . In 1903 he played in "The Usurper" by I. C. Morris, for a season. In 1904 with Klaw and Erlanger he made a lavish production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" as the opening play for the New Amsterdam Theatre, New York, his role being that of Bottom. In 1905-6 Mr. Goodwin appeared in W. W. Jacobs's "The Beauty and the Barge" Alfred Henry Lewis's "Wolfville: and "The Genius," formerly "The Genius and the Model" by W. C. and Cecil de Mille, which he first produced in Albany, N. Y., April 20, 1906, and played at the Bijou Theatre, New York, during the fall season. The season of 1907-8 Mr. Goodwin toured with his own company in repertoire, appearing in "The Master Hand" in Boston, Mass., December 26, 1907. Mr. Goodwin's first wife was Eliza Weathersby, a well-known comedy actress, who died in 1887. In February, 1898, Mr. Goodwin married Maxine Elliott, the well-known actress.