Wilson Barrett (born William Henry Barrett; 18 February 1846 – 22 September 1904) was an English manager, actor, and playwright. With his company, Barrett is credited with attracting the largest crowds of English theatregoers ever because of his success with melodrama, an instance being his production of The Silver King (1882) at the Princess's Theatre of London. The historical tragedy The Sign of the Cross (1895) was Barrett's most successful play, both in England and in the United States.
Children: sons Frank and novelist & playwright Alfred Barrett; daughter Dollie. His grandson was also a performer of the same name, Wilson Barrett.
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A famous 19th-century actor-manager who played such roles as William Shakespeare's "Othello" onstage in addition to writing his own plays. His most famous stage work is the 1890s religious drama "The Sign of the Cross"; it appeared at approximately the same time as Henryk Sienkiewicz's classic novel, "Quo Vadis?", and may have been an "unofficial adaptation" of it (such practices were not uncommon at the time and Barrett's play bears many striking similarities to Sienkiewicz's novel in its plot and some of its characters).