A highly readable account of the multiple careers and complex private life of a leading seventeenth century actor.

How did actors of the late seventeenth century supplement their earnings? And what were the relationships between their other business and their acting? This Element focuses on the diverse career of Henry Harris, a leading member of the Duke's Company between 1661 and 1682, and co-manager of the company for a decade. A skilled engraver, Harris also held appointments at the Royal Mint and as Yeoman of the Revels at court, all against the background of a fragmented private life. Drawing on recently discovered manuscript material, this is the first full-length study of a major performer of the Restoration period.