author
Lester Wallack
1820–1888
A leading figure of 19th-century American theater, he was admired for polished performances in comic and romantic roles and for guiding one of New York’s best-known stage companies. His career bridged acting, playwriting, and management, helping shape the professional stage in the United States.
1 Audiobook
The Romance of a Poor Young Man A Drama Adapted from the French of Octave Feuillet
by Pierrepont Edwards, Octave Feuillet, Lester Wallack
About the author
Born John Johnstone Wallack in New York City on January 1, 1820, he was the son of actor-manager James William Wallack and Susan Johnstone. He performed for years under the stage name John Lester before adopting the name Lester Wallack, the one by which he is remembered.
His early career included work in Britain and Ireland before he made his New York debut in 1847. He became especially known for comic and romantic parts, and later took over the management of Wallack's Theatre, where he built a reputation not just as a performer but as a steady, influential theatrical leader.
Wallack also wrote for the stage, and his theater company was widely remembered as an important training ground for American actors of the 19th century. He died in Stamford, Connecticut, on September 6, 1888, but his name remained closely tied to the development of New York theater.