author
William Mountfort
d. 1692
A lively figure of Restoration theatre, he was known both for playing polished gentlemen onstage and for writing plays of his own. His career ended abruptly and violently in 1692, giving his story an unusually dramatic final chapter.
1 Audiobook
The Life and Death of Doctor Faustus Made into a Farce
by William Mountfort, Christopher Marlowe
About the author
William Mountfort was an English actor and dramatic writer, born around 1664, probably in Staffordshire. He joined the Dorset Garden company while still young and, by the early 1680s, had become known for playing refined, fashionable gentlemen in both comedy and tragedy.
Alongside acting, he wrote several plays and contributed prologues and epilogues, building a reputation as one of the notable theatre figures of the Restoration period. He was also connected to the stage through his wife, Susanna Mountfort, an actress.
Mountfort is remembered not only for his theatrical work but also for the shocking way his life ended. He died on 10 December 1692 after being attacked during a notorious episode involving Lord Mohun and an attempted abduction connected to the actress Anne Bracegirdle.