A Man of Firsts: Black Shakespearean Actor Ira Aldridge

Mr. Keane. The African Roscius. The first great Black performer of Shakespeare. The first great American performer of Shakespeare. Actor Ira Aldridge (1807–1867) has been called all of these things. With a legacy that lives on to this day, he is celebrated as a pioneering performer who refused to let racism at home or abroad prevent him from pursuing his passion for performing Shakespeare.

AS A TEENAGER, Aldridge began acting at the African Grove Theater in New York City. Founded six years before New York abolished slavery, the theater provided a stage for Black talent in the city. But in 1823, police permanently closed the theater in response to three seasons stained by the violence of white mobs. This prompted a teenaged Aldridge to immigrate to England, where he sought his fortune as an actor and campaigned against slavery. Aldridge had thought he would begin his European career on the London stage, but English prejudice initially limited his acting prospects to the provincial theatres outside of London and in Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. His career blossomed when he began touring continental Europe. His celebrity reached such heights that newspapers reported audience members fainting during Aldridge’s performances.

Aldridge performed in both Shakespearean and popular roles during his career, but he was best known for his portrayals of Othello, Aaron, Shylock, Richard III, and King Lear. In 1858, he made his long-overdue West End debut at the Lyceum Theatre. London theater critics praised Aldridge for the originality of his interpretation of Othello as a more complexly human character with both rage and softness warring inside him.

Later in his career, Aldridge planned to return to the US and seems to have negotiated contracts for a 100-show-tour, but his unexpected death in Łódź, Poland on August 7, 1867 ended this dream. His elaborate funeral included members of the Art Society processing through the city’s streets carrying Aldridge’s many awards and medals.

Ira Aldridge in Performance

A Man of Firsts

Throughout his career, Aldridge accomplished a number of firsts for Black actors. Nearly a decade after moving to London with dreams of performing in the city’s biggest theaters, Aldridge became the first Black man to perform at the Theatre Royal in Covent Garden, one of London’s pre-eminent theaters. In 1833, the renowned actor Edmund Kean collapsed while performing the role of Othello with no understudy to replace him. By this point in his career, Aldridge had established an international reputation.  He was contracted to take Kean’s place. An unknown collector mounted the playbill for this historic performance alongside two printed portraits of Aldridge and a short biographical account in German. This playbill advertises Aldridge’s historic appearance at the Theatre Royal in Covent Garden, London in April 1833.

In addition to being a skillful actor, Aldridge was a savvy businessman. Around 1850, Aldridge requested membership in the General Theatrical Fund. Established in 1839 by Charles Dickens and others, the Fund provided annuities to actors who had contributed for a minimum of seven years and were at least 60 years old or unable to work due to accident or illness. Membership into the fund provided not only financial benefits but added another layer of professional legitimacy to those admitted into the group. Three members of the Fund’s board signed the back of the letter, certifying Aldridge’s eligibility. He was the first Black member to be accepted into the program.

An Actor with Many Titles

Like many actors of his time, Aldridge cultivated personas to distinguish himself from other performers and generate audience interest. He appeared under the British-sounding “Mr. Keane” when first performing in England, but Aldridge later dropped the title in favor of “The African Roscius.” It was an allusion to the famed Roman actor Quintus Roscius who himself was born into slavery and who was praised for the new levels of elegance he brought to the Roman stage. For a time, Aldridge also promoted the idea that he was the son of a Senegalese prince. The moniker “African Roscius” married the ideas of Aldridge’s fairytale origin story with his theatrical achievements.

Aldridge tirelessly traveled throughout England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland in the 1830s and 1840s, performing in one town while preparing contracts for future engagements. In one letter, he proposes to perform “immediately” in Southampton, over 200 miles south of his current gig in Hull. He outlines the logistics and compensation and signs himself, “Ira F Aldridge The African Roscius.”

Growing the Folger Collection of Ira Aldridge Materials

The Folger actively collects materials related to Aldridge’s career and legacy. Most recently, the Folger acquired an 1826 playbill that named Aldridge as both Mr. Keane and the African Roscius. Researchers interested in Aldridge can explore a wide range of materials including manuscript letters and receipts, playbills, and prints. Actor John Douglas Thompson and director Daniela Varon, 2025–26 Folger fellows, are researching a creative project about the life and career of Aldridge. Visitors to the exhibition halls can see a print of Aldridge in costume as Othello alongside a manuscript letter written by Aldridge on permanent display in an installation by artist Fred Wilson. There is more to be discovered and many more people to be introduced to Aldridge. The Folger looks forward to continuing to be a center of research for scholars, creatives, and the public interested in learning more about this groundbreaking Shakespearean.