Frederick George Maeder (1840- 9 April 1891, New York City) was an American playwright and actor.[1][2] Born in New York, he was the son of composer and vocal coach James Gaspard Maeder (1809–1876), and his wife, the actress Clara Fisher (1811–1898).[3] He made his professional stage debut in 1859 in Portland, Maine portraying the officer Barnardo in William Shakespeare's Hamlet in a production managed by George Paunceford.[2] As an actor he mainly performed comedic characters, often with an eccentric flair. He was best known during his lifetime as the writer of many plays; crafting works for numerous stage personalities of the second half of the 19th century.[3] In addition to the many plays he wrote alone, he also co-wrote plays with McKee Rankin, among them Wife and Child,[4] The Runaway Wife and The Canuck.[5]
Maeder died of pneumonia at the age of 50 at the home of his brother Gaspard at 311 E 114th St New York, NY 10029.[2]
Partial list of plays
edit- Red Riding Hood; or Wolf's at the Door (1868)[3]
- Help (1871)[3]
- Lola (1871)[3]
- Buffalo Bill (1872)[6]
- Life's Peril; or, The Drunkard's Wife (1872)[3]
- Nip, the Pretty Flower (1873)[3]
- Mat, the Romp (1883, written for Carrie Swain)[7]
- Morning Glory (1884, written for Carrie Swain)[8]
- Wife and Child (1884, with McKee Rankin)[4]
- Old London (1887, with McKee Rankin)[9]
- The Runaway Wife (1888, with McKee Rankin; heavily revised version of Wife and Child)[10]
- The Skirmish Line (1888, with McKee Rankin)[11]
- The Canuck (1889, with McKee Rankin)[12]
References
editCitations
edit- ^ Hixon & Hennessee, p. 251
- ^ a b c "Obituary: Frederick G. Maeder". New York Sun. April 10, 1891. p. 2.
- ^ a b c d e f g Bordman & Hischak
- ^ a b Beasley, p. 189
- ^ "Playwright Maeder Seriously Ill". Philadelphia Times. April 9, 1891. p. 1.
- ^ "William "Buffalo Bill" Cody". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
- ^ "Amusements". Lancaster Daily Intelligencer. January 2, 1883. p. 3.
- ^ "Amusement Review". Indianapolis Journal. February 19, 1884. p. 8.
- ^ Beasley, p. 239
- ^ Beasley, p. 246-247
- ^ Beasley, p. 249
- ^ Beasley, p. 254-255
Bibliography
edit- Beasley, David R. (2002). McKee Rankin and the Heyday of the American Theater. Wilfrid Laurier University Press. ISBN 9780889203907.
- Bordman, Gerald; Hischak, Thomas S. "Maeder, Frederick G[eorge] (1840–91), playwright and actor". The Oxford Companion to American Theatre (3 ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195169867.(subscription required)
- Hixon, Donald L.; Hennessee, Don A. (1977). Nineteenth-century American Drama: A Finding Guide. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810810839.
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