KLEIN, CHARLES

(1867-1915)

Born in London, the playwright came to America in 1882 and actedjuvenileroles before turning to playwriting. His first play to get aNew York Timesreview wasBy Proxy(1892), a clever but somewhat tedious farce.Willie(1894) was panned, butThe District Attorney, coauthored withHarrison Grey Fiske(1895), starredWilton LackayeandEffie Shannon. By 1897, Klein was regarded as "a rising playwright who seems to have plenty of ideas" (NewYork Times, 20 April 1897) whenHeartseaseandDr. Belgraffboth opened early that year. His best plays were produced byDavid Belascoand starredDavid Warfield:The Auctioneer(1901, revived 1913) and the phenomenally popularThe Music Master(1904). Other successes includedThe Lion and the Mouse(1905),The Daughters of Men(1906),The Third Degree(1909), andThe Gamblers(1910). Klein was also a play reader forCharles Frohman, and both died when theLusitaniawas sunk by a German submarine.