Foote, SAMUEL

Foote, SAMUEL, English actor and writer of comedy, was born at Truro, in Cornwall, in January 1720. His father at one time sat in parliament for Tiverton, and was mayor of Truro; his mother inherited a considerable fortune from her brother, Sir John Goodere, Bart., who was murdered by another brother. Foote left Worcester College, Oxford, without a degree, and about 1740 entered the Temple; but after wasting his fortune in a career of pleasure he turned to the stage as a means of support, and in 1744 made an unsuccessful début as 'a gentleman' in 'Othello.' In 1747 he opened the Haymarket Theatre—where he was at once director, actor, and dramatic author—with Diversions of the Morning. In this and other pieces he introduced well-known living characters, and by his admirable powers of mimicry succeeded in drawing large audiences; the theatre was closed by order of the magistrates, but Foote hit on the device of inviting his friends to 'a cup of tea,' for which tickets were to be obtained at the coffee-houses. He appeared in a great number of parts in London, Edinburgh, and Dublin, but would seem to have achieved success almost solely in his own plays. In 1766 he broke his leg by a fall from his horse, and amputation was found necessary. This, however, did not interrupt his career; he even turned the incident to account on the stage, by composing parts expressly adapted to his own state. He died at Dover on 21st October 1777. Many anecdotes of him, though not infrequently borrowed from earlier sources, are given in Cooke's Memoirs of Samuel Foote (1805); see also Forster's essay in the Quarterly Review, 1854, and the article by Joseph Knight in the Diet. of Nat. Biog., vol. xix. (1889). Of his plays the best are An Auction of Pictures, The Minor, The Liar, and The Mayor of Garratt, which have been frequently published.