Henslowe, Philip (hĕnz`lō), c.1550–1616, English businessman and theatrical manager. Although he managed the Rose Theatre, Bankside, London, and the Fortune Theatre, Cripplegate, London, he is best remembered for his association with his son-in-law Edward Alleyn Alleyn, Edward (ăl`ĭn), 1566–1626, English actor. He was the foremost member of the Admiral's Men , joining the group c.
..... Click the link for more information. and the Admiral's Men Admiral's Men, theatrical company of players, officially designated the Admiral's Men in 1585. They were rivals of the Chamberlain's Men and performed at the theaters of Philip Henslowe . Their leading actor was Edward Alleyn .
..... Click the link for more information. . He employed a number of dramatists, including Dekker, Chapman, Drayton, and Thomas Heywood. An energetic businessman, he was interested in theater for its profitability. His diary (ed. with supplementary material by R. A. Foakes and R. T. Rickert, 1961) contains valuable information on the Elizabethan stage.

Henslowe, Philip

(born c. 1550, Lindfield, Sussex, Eng.—died Jan. 6, 1616, London) English theatre owner and manager. He settled in London before 1577, married a wealthy widow, and became the owner of several theatres, among them the Rose Theatre, which he built (with a partner) in 1587. The most lavish was the Fortune Theatre, built in 1600 for the Admiral's Men, the chief rivals of William Shakespeare's company. Henslowe's theatres gave the first productions of many Elizabethan dramas. His diary (edited 1904–08 by Sir Walter Gregg) is an important source for theatrical history.