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Lester Wallack
1820–1888
A leading 19th-century actor-manager, he helped shape New York theater through polished performances and long years at Wallack’s Theatre. Born in London and celebrated in the United States, he became one of the best-known stage figures of his era.
1 Audiobook
The Romance of a Poor Young Man
by Pierrepont Edwards, Octave Feuillet, Lester Wallack
About the author
Born in London on January 29, 1820, Lester Wallack was the son of actor James William Wallack and grew up in a theatrical family. He first worked on the English stage before building his reputation in the United States, where audiences came to know him for his elegant style and strong presence in comedy and drama.
Wallack is especially remembered for his long association with Wallack’s Theatre in New York. As both actor and manager, he played a major role in the city’s stage life during the mid-to-late 1800s, helping make the theater an important home for popular performance. His career connected him to a period when American theater was becoming more established and influential.
He died on September 6, 1888. Even now, Wallack is remembered as one of the defining theater personalities of 19th-century America, admired not only for his acting but also for his influence on the business and culture of the stage.