I see an interesting list of theatrical names appears on the website of the Templeman Library, Univ. of Kent at Canterbury, Special Theatre Collections http://library.ukc.ac.uk/library/special/html/specoll/namet.htm Does anyone know of sources of biographical reference for actors? I am especially interested in a certain Mr. Templeton who I think was an actor in the 1830s. I think he once played Lorenzo to Edmund Kean's Shylock. The list of theatrical names includes "Templeton, Mr. Howard", but I don't know if it's the same one, as no time frame is mentioned. Best wishes, John Townsend (Wokingham, England)

At 08:01 AM 17/12/2002, you wrote: >I see an interesting list of theatrical names appears on the website of the >Templeman Library, Univ. of Kent at Canterbury, Special Theatre Collections > >http://library.ukc.ac.uk/library/special/html/specoll/namet.htm > >Does anyone know of sources of biographical reference for actors? I am >especially interested in a certain Mr. Templeton who I think was an actor in >the 1830s. I think he once played Lorenzo to Edmund Kean's Shylock. The >list of theatrical names includes "Templeton, Mr. Howard", but I don't know >if it's the same one, as no time frame is mentioned. I found our ancestor through the Templeman Library initially but was unable to get more detailed information. Eventually found more about him through this book (which is apparently available in English libraries) Modern English Biography - Containing Many Thousand Memoirs of Persons Have Have Died Since the Year 1850 with an Index of the Most Interesting Matter , Boase, Frederic. A lot more was discovered through the following book which is basically the diary entries of a well known Theatre critic in London in the 1800's . Title: The life and reminiscences of E.L. Blanchard : with notes from the diary of Wm. Blanchard by Clement Scott and Cecil Howard. Author / Creator: Blanchard, E. L. (Edward L.), 1820-1889 Imprint / Date: London : Hutchinson, 1891. I used an OPAC search of library databases with theatre related keywords to find the books that might be relevant. You might also find reference to him in the ERA magazines for that time frame. You are in the most fortunate of places.....being 'on the spot'. It is very hard to research from here in Australia but I have been amazed at what I have been able to glean even from this distance. Once I had the basic framework, it allowed more indepth searches and the Kingston library historian helped by looking through their archives too. Hope this helps, Mary Bendigo Australia <mairibeth@iprimus.com.au> http://home.iprimus.com.au/mairibeth/