Booth, Edwin Thomas

Booth, Edwin Thomas (1833–93) actor; born in Belair, Md. He was part of a notable theatrical family: his father, Junius Brutus Booth Sr. and his brothers Junius Brutus Booth Jr. and John Wilkes Booth were all actors, although John Wilkes Booth is best known as the assassin of Abraham Lincoln. Edwin Booth was famous for his classic roles, and became the first American actor to gain an international reputation. In 1864 he played the role of Hamlet in 100 consecutive New York City performances, a record for the time. After New York's Winter Garden was destroyed by fire, he built a new theater, where he opened in 1869 in Romeo and Juliet opposite Mary McVicker, who became his second wife. The theater failed and Booth went bankrupt. His own dark temperament was accentuated by family madness and tragedy. In 1918 a statue of him was put up in Gramercy Park, opposite the Players Club, Booth's former house.