McCullough, John [Edward] (1832–85), actor and manager. Born in Ireland, he was sent to live with relatives in Philadelphia after the death of his mother and soon took an active interest in amateur theatricals, including the local Boothenian Dramatic Association. He made his professional debut at the Arch Street Theatre, then came to the attention of Edwin Forrest, who adopted him as a protégé. The result of this apprenticeship was that McCullough's repertory and acting style were very much those of the older actor. He played many second leads to Forrest, and after the star's death, assumed the principal roles in such old Forrest standbys as The Gladiator, Virginius, Jack Cade, and King Lear. He managed San Francisco's California Theatre until financial difficulties forced him to relinquish the post in the late 1870s, so he resumed touring in his best‐known roles. His last appearance was in Chicago in 1884, after which his growing mental instability forced his commitment to an institution. A large, rugged, masculinely handsome man, McCullough was highly admired for his fairness in an often‐selfish profession, although his acting was seen to belong to a passing tradition. J. Rankin Towse wrote, “His Othello was an imposing and martial figure, with authority in voice and mien and all the external indications of the ‘frank and noble nature’ with which Iago credited him. And his ‘waked wrath’ was terrible. . . . But it was only in storm and stress that it was remarkable. In detail it was crude, unimaginative, unfinished, a bold freehand sketch rather than a completed study.” Biography: John McCullough as Man, Actor and Spirit, Susie Champney Clark, 1905.
John Edward McCullough
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John Edward McCullough (November 2, 1837 – November 8, 1885) was an American actor.
He was born in Coleraine, Ireland. He went to America at the age of sixteen, and made his first appearance on the stage at the Arch Street Theatre, Philadelphia, in 1857. In support of Edwin Forrest and Edwin Booth he played second roles in Shakespearean and other tragedies, and Forrest left him by will all his prompt books. Virginius was his greatest success, although even in this part and as Othello he was coldly received in England (1881). On the night of September 29, 1884, he broke down on stage at McVicker's Theater in Chicago and was unable to recite his lines. The audience, thinking he was drunk, hissed and booed. In fact, McCullough was suffering from the early stages of general paresis. He was later committed to the Bloomingdale Asylum but continued to decline and finally died in an asylum in Philadelphia. His "insane ravings" became popular and were imitated in one of the first audio recordings.[1]
John Wilkes Booth appeared at Ford's Theatre, Washington, on March 18, 1865, in the play 'The Apostate' which was performed as a benefit for John McCullough. [2]
In 1889, after his death, he was memorialized with a statue in Philadelphia - to which Edwin Booth reportedly refused to contribute.[3]
An apocrophal version of his death which arose as theatre lore is reported by the National Theatre in Washington, DC where he appeared a number of times in various roles between 1875 and 1889. According to this version of events, McCullough was murdered backstage by a fellow actor, was buried by members of the acting company in a cellar beneath the stage, and is a resident ghost.
References
- 'In Memory Of John Mccullough' Pub. by De Vinne, NY 1889. Includes Life of McCullough by William Winter. Subscribers include Mary Anderson, Henry Irving , Joseph Jefferson. Limited to 500 copies. Published to commemorate the McCullough Monument in Philadelphia,1888.
- National Theatre (Ghost Article)
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
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