YOUNG, WILLIAM

Young, William: translation

(1847-1920)

Playwright William Young was born near Chicago, studied for the law, and began a theatrical career as an actor in order to learn the art of playwriting. He wrote several blank verse tragedies, includingJonquil(1871),Pendragon(1882), andGanelon(1891), all starringLawrence Barrett, but had his greatest success with a long-running 1883 comedy,The Rajah, produced byDaniel Frohman. He subsequently translated and adaptedJoan of Arc(1890) from Jules Barbier's novel, and adaptedA Japanese Nightingale(1903) from Onoto Wotanna's novel. His major triumph was adapting General Lew Wallace's novelBen-Hur(1899) for the stage. Its spectacularMarc KlawandAbe Erlangerproduction led to numerous revivals, tours, and motion picture adaptations.