Pastor, Tony

Pastor, Tony, c.1837–1908, American theater manager, b. New York City. Pastor appeared on the stage from childhood and became an experienced acrobat, dancer, and singer. He opened his first theater at 444 Broadway, New York City, in 1861. Thereafter he opened two more Broadway theaters, and in 1881 began presenting shows at his best-known playhouse on 14th St. In these establishments Pastor introduced many performers who became famous (notably Lillian Russell) and presented vaudeville suitable for a mixed audience.

Bibliography

See biography by P. Zellers (1971).

---

Pastor, Tony

 orig. Antonio Pastor

Tony Pastor

(credit: Culver Pictures)

(born May 28, 1837, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died Aug. 26, 1908, Elmhurst, N.Y.) U.S. impresario and comic singer. He appeared at P.T. Barnum's American Museum as a child prodigy and first performed in a variety show in 1861. After managing a series of New York City theatres, he opened the Fourteenth Street Theatre in 1881. Though variety shows of the time featured coarse humour and were considered unsuitable for ladies, he advertised his theatre as “the first specialty and vaudeville theatre of America, catering to polite tastes.” His unexpected success spurred other theatre managers to follow suit and led to the creation of vaudeville. See also music hall and variety theatre.

---

Pastor, Tony (b. Antonio) (1837–1908) actor and manager; born in New York City. A performer and entrepreneur, he first appeared with Phineas Barnum. He worked successfully to clean up the image of vaudeville, banning the sale of liquor and getting rid of the cruder acts. He opened several theaters and introduced such stars as Weber and Fields and Lillian Russell. He ran the Fourteenth Street Theatre until his death.