Louis James: America’s Titan of the Shakespearean Stage, 1875-1910

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Back in the glory days of professional touring theater companies, the name Louis James was an American household word. He launched his professional career in the late 1860s and by the 1880s was nationally renowned as the rising star of Shakespearean drama.

Although he first drew attention in the great melodramas of the day, he became one of the greatest Shakespeareans of the Gilded Age. Handsome, virile, and tall, he rolled out the Bard’s iambic pentameter in a magnificent rumbling baritone voice.

He kept the spirit of Shakespeare and the classics alive and well during his nearly fifty-year career, bringing his astonishing portrayals to Western and Midwestern audiences in a time when New York prided itself as the theatrical center of the United States.

In Louis James, author Thomas P. Collins brings this long-forgotten actor’s career and most notable productions vividly to life. Lovers of Shakespeare will revel in the story of the once-famous and beloved Louis James.