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David Garrick's Life

David Garrick was born in Hereford, on February 19th 1717. Within three weeks of his birth he moved to his family home in Lichfield where his father was a recruiting officer.

During his father's long absences on tour he received letters from "Little Davy" telling him of what was happening in Lichfield.

David and his brother George were the first and last students at the Academy at Edial which had been recently established by Doctor Samuel Johnson.

The Academy was not successful and was closed within six months. Shortly afterwards Garrick and Dr Johnson made their way, on horse and on foot, to London to seek their fortunes. Doctor Johnson was 26, Garrick, 19.

Upon receiving £1,000 after the death of an uncle, David and his brother entered into a partnership as Wine Merchants, with Garrick working from London and his brother in Lichfield. The business was not prosperous and within three years Garrick had spent half of his fortune.

Garrick also tried his hand, unsuccessfully, at many other professions, most notably as a law student. But it was acting, a hobby from his childhood, that really captured his imagination.

On October 19th, Garrick made his debut appearance as Richard III at Goodman's Fields, and his reputation and historical importance was sealed. Throughout a long and successful career he played many different roles within the theatre.

After his debut as Richard III he wrote to his family, asking to be released from his business as a wine merchant.

In 1747 he fulfilled a short season of acting, the last under direction which was not his own, and in the same year he purchased the property of the Drury Lane Theatre and under-took to run it.

Flawless reputation

In 1749 Garrick married Mademoiselle Violette (Eva Maria Veigel) a German Lady who had attracted much attention as a dancer in Florence and Vienna. Garrick described her as being "The best of Women and Wives".

Garrick was often a vain man. One of his biographers stated "Vanity ... to use no stronger word, was at the bottom of all of Garrick's difficulties".

He wanted to maintain a flawless reputation both as an actor and as a man. In the 1770's Garrick was charged with unfounded accusations of homosexuality for playing dandy, effeminate roles, particularly the cross dressing character John Brute in The Provoked Wife.

After this time, he performed no more roles of a similar type. Garrick quickly challenged anything that threatened to undermine the level of his prestige and respectability within the theatre community.

Garrick never held grudges and even his life outside of the theatre was untarnished. A youthful dalliance with Margaret Woffington is all the real scandal about Garrick that historians and biographers have been able to find.

Garrick practically ceased acting in 1766, but he continued his management of the Drury Lane Theatre, and in 1769 he organized the first Shakespeare Festival in Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Of his best supporters on the stage Mrs. Cibber died in 1766, and Mrs. (Kitty) Clive retired in 1769. But Garrick contrived to maintain the success of the theatre. In 1776, he sold his share of the property in the Theatre Royal Drury Lane to Richard Brinsley Sheridan.

David Garrick died in London on January 20th, 1779. He was buried in Westminster Abbey at the foot of Shakespeare's statue with imposing solemnities where the following poem was written:

To paint fair nature by divine command,
Her magic pencil in her glowing hand.
A Shakespeare rose: then to expand his fame,
Wide O'er this breathing world, a Garrick came.
Though sunk in death, the forms the poet drew
The actor's genius bade them breath anew:
Though like the bard himself, in night they lay,
Immortal Garrick call'd them back to day:
And till eternity with pow'r sublime,
Shall mark the moral hour of Hoary time:
Shakespeare and Garrick like twin-stars shall shine,
And Earth irradiate with a beam divine.