GOODWIN, NAT C.

(1857-1919)

Born Nathaniel Carl Goodwin in Boston, he attended school at the Little Blue Academy in Farmington, Maine, where he acted in school dramatics. This led to an acting career, beginning with the role of a shoeshine boy in manager John B. Stetson's production ofLaw in New York(1874) at Boston's Howard Atheneum. Goodwin worked invaudevilleforTony Pastorin 1875 and starred in E. E. Rice's musicals for a few seasons before setting up his own comedy troupe, the Froliques, where he was applauded for his imitations of famous actors and for hiseccentriccomedic style. Goodwin was successful in a series of light comedies, includingThe Skating Rink(1885),Little Jack Sheppard(1886),Turned Up(1886), andLend Me Five Shillings(1887), but he had his greatest hit inA Gilded Fool(1892). He gradually added dramatic roles to hisrepertoire, including the role of Sheriff Jim Radburn inAugustusThomas'sIn Mizzoura(1893). He failed in several attempts at Shakespeare, including Shy-lock inThe Merchant of Venice(1901) and Bottom inA Midsummer Night's Dream(1903), but found great successes opposite his wife, actressMaxine Elliott, inNathan Hale(1899) andWhen We Were Twenty-One(1900). He continued to act until shortly before his death, scoring one final hit as Uncle Everett inJesse LynchWilliams's Pulitzer PRiZE-winning comedyWhy Marry? (1917).