Edwin Booth

埃德温·托马斯·布思是美国舞台演员和剧院经理，被广泛认为是19世纪最伟大的美国莎士比亚戏剧演员。布思出生于戏剧世家，通过对复杂角色的细腻演绎而声名鹊起，尤其是哈姆雷特，他饰演该角色的次数比之前或之后的任何演员都多。他在1864年至1865年创下的连续100晚演出《哈姆雷特》的纪录至今无人能破。1869年，布思在纽约市建立了布思剧院，这是一座展示他艺术愿景的先进场馆。尽管他在职业上取得了巨大成功，但他的遗产常常与弟弟约翰·威尔克斯·布思（刺杀亚伯拉罕·林肯总统的凶手）交织在一起。如今，布思被视为美国戏剧界的变革人物，他内敛、自省的风格彻底改变了莎士比亚戏剧的表演方式。他身材矮小、瘦削、肤色黝黑、面容敏感，苍白而富有表情的脸上带着忧郁。他的舞台存在感被描述为具有一种奇特的磁性，无论在哪里演出都能吸引观众。布思的个人正直和对艺术的奉献为他赢得了崇拜者，尽管他弟弟的恶名曾一度掩盖了他的成就。他至今仍是历史研究和传记的主题，其生平在1955年由理查德·伯顿主演的电影《演员王子》中有所描绘。[编辑]

埃德温·布思于1833年11月13日出生在马里兰州贝尔艾尔家中的小木屋里。他以父亲两位同事的名字埃德温·福雷斯特和托马斯·弗林命名。他的童年深受父亲日益严重的酗酒和情绪不稳定的影响。朱尼厄斯·布鲁图斯·布思，当时被认为是美国最杰出的演员，在三个孩子短时间内相继去世后开始大量饮酒并经常暴怒。13岁时，埃德温被派去陪同父亲巡演，负责让他保持清醒和理智。传记作家埃莉诺·拉格尔斯写道，埃德温安静而体贴的存在可以在‘布思陷入忧郁或疯狂时唤回父亲’。这段经历让他对当时夸张的表演风格有了早期了解。埃德温接受的正式教育有限，但表现出非凡的智慧和决心。他于1849年9月10日在波士顿博物馆首次登台，在父亲饰演理查三世时扮演小角色特雷塞尔。两年后在纽约市，当父亲拒绝演出时，埃德温代替他饰演理查三世，表演虽模仿但可信，标志着他迈向明星之路的第一步。[编辑]

父亲于1852年去世后，埃德温·布思成为常驻剧团的明星，在雪封的采矿营地演出，曾在旧金山郊外的小屋短暂居住，巡演太平洋岛屿，最终于1854年返回东部，接演父亲最著名的角色理查三世。1862年，他成为纽约冬季花园剧院的经理，在那里上演了备受赞誉的莎士比亚作品。他从1864年到1865年连续100晚演出《哈姆雷特》的纪录至今保持。他饰演哈姆雷特的次数比历史上任何其他演员都多。1869年，他建立了布思剧院，这是一座拥有先进舞台设备的现代场馆，被认为是当时最壮观的剧院之一。他从1880年到1882年巡演欧洲，在伦敦和其他首都演出，获得高度赞誉。布思一直演戏直到1893年去世，巩固了他作为本世纪最伟大美国演员的声誉。[编辑]

埃德温·布思拥有一种奇特的磁性，无论在哪里演出都能吸引观众。在舞台上，他超凡脱俗、充满魅力，以其精致内敛的风格著称，与他父亲夸张的方式形成鲜明对比。在台下，他被描述为严肃、深思和沉默寡言。他苍白而富有表情的脸和忧郁的眼睛成为他的标志。粉丝们会堵在舞台门口只为一睹他的风采。布思内敛的个性和对艺术的奉献为他赢得了戏剧界“大师”的绰号。他是内战期间的联邦支持者，他的个人正直为他赢得了崇拜者，尽管他弟弟的恶名曾一度掩盖了他的成就。当他走在街上时，人们会停下来凝视他。他的舞台存在感被描述为‘没有任何语言能充分形容的崇拜’。布思的标志性风格精致而内敛，使他与同时代人截然不同。[编辑]

For a man who never knew the frenzy of a modern fan base, Edwin Booth commanded a devotion that bordered on the religious. Audiences didn't just watch him; they waited by the stage door for hours, hoping to catch a glimpse of those melancholy eyes. His Hamlet, a role he performed more than any actor before or since, was the performance of a lifetime, a psychological revelation that left playgoers stunned into silence before the applause erupted. The 100-night consecutive run in 1864-65 was not merely a record, it was a phenomenon that made his name synonymous with theatrical greatness.

Yet Booth's following was not a fandom in the modern sense. There was no official name for his admirers, no organized clubs, no coordinated campaigns. His fans were the theatergoers of his era, bound by word of mouth and the shared experience of live performance. Their devotion was expressed in the packed houses and the fervent reviews, in the way they elevated him to the status of a cultural icon. Even after his death, his legacy was preserved not by fan groups but by institutions like The Players Club, which he founded, and the archives that keep his memory alive.

In the annals of fame, Edwin Booth's place is secure, though iFANN's Global Fame Engine has evaluated his standing and found that he currently does not hold a placement in the published rankings, not in the Global Top 1,000, nor in any Top-100 scope list. This is a reflection of the era in which he lived, a time before the global media landscape that fuels modern fame. Yet, in the annals of theatrical history, his name remains a touchstone, a legend that continues to resonate.[编辑]

Edwin Booth's life was marked by extraordinary coincidences and quiet acts of kindness. He once saved the life of Robert Todd Lincoln, pulling the president's son from a train platform gap in Jersey City, a story that gains tragic irony when one recalls that Edwin's brother, John Wilkes, would assassinate the president a year later. This tale is often the first told to newcomers, a reflection of the strange hand of fate that linked the Booth family to the Lincolns.

During the Civil War, Booth hung a Union flag over his infant daughter's bed, a quiet declaration of loyalty that contrasted sharply with his brother's actions. He also contributed to a fund that purchased a horse and buggy for the poet Walt Whitman, who had become lame, a gesture of kindness that spoke to his character. Booth urged his daughter to learn ice-skating, lamenting that he had no childhood opportunities for play, and he lived a Bohemian lifestyle in his early career, with casual encounters he boasted about in letters to his brother Junius.

The Folger Shakespeare Library holds extensive materials on the Booth family, ensuring his legacy is preserved. His support for President Lincoln made his brother's assassination particularly devastating, and he withdrew from the stage briefly in the public backlash. He is interred at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where his grave remains a site of pilgrimage for theater lovers.[编辑]

埃德温·布思是朱尼厄斯·布鲁图斯·布思（一位著名的英国出生的演员）和玛丽·安·霍姆斯（他的情妇，后来成为妻子）所生十个孩子中的第七个。他的哥哥是小朱尼厄斯·布鲁图斯·布思，一位剧院经理。他的弟妹包括阿西娅·布思·克拉克和约翰·威尔克斯·布思，即刺杀林肯总统的演员。埃德温有一个幸存的孩子，是他第一次婚姻所生的女儿埃德温娜·布思·格罗斯曼。他住在纽约市，晚年变得隐退。没有记录显示他有宠物。林肯遇刺后，埃德温没有像其他家庭成员一样被监禁，因为他在高层有朋友。[编辑]

埃德温·布斯是著名演员朱尼厄斯·布鲁图斯·布斯之子，也是刺杀亚伯拉罕·林肯的约翰·威尔克斯·布斯的兄弟。他还是剧院经理小朱尼厄斯·布鲁图斯·布斯和Asia Booth Clarke的兄弟。他的第一任妻子Mary Devlin是演员，第二任妻子Mary McVicker也是演员。他的女儿Edwina Booth Grossman编纂了他的信件。他曾为诗人沃尔特·惠特曼的基金捐款。[编辑]

埃德温·布斯结过两次婚。第一任妻子是Mary Devlin，一位曾在弗吉尼亚州里士满与他饰演罗密欧与朱丽叶的演员。他们于1860年结婚，Mary放弃舞台成为他的妻子。他们有一个女儿Edwina，生于1861年。Mary于1863年去世，就在Edwina一岁生日后不久。布斯曾这样评价她：“我的青春始于我的婚姻。”1869年，他娶了同样是演员的Mary McVicker。这段婚姻持续到1881年她去世。第二次婚姻没有子女存活。布斯早期职业生涯中也有过一些随意关系，这在他写给兄弟的信件中有记载。1893年去世时，布斯已丧偶，两位妻子都先他而去。[编辑]

The official announcement regarding Edwin Thomas Booth's passing came from his attending physicians, who certified the cause as apoplexy following a sudden collapse at his New York City residence. The celebrated actor, born in 1833, succumbed to what was understood to be a cerebral hemorrhage on June 7, 1893, at the age of fifty-nine. His final days had been marked by a decline in health attributed to chronic heart issues and the physical toll of years spent touring, though he had already retired from active stage management before his last hours.

The theatrical community and the public reacted with immediate and profound mourning, recognizing the loss of the man who had worked tirelessly to restore the family name after the tragedy involving his brother. Tributes poured in from institutions across the United States and Europe, honoring the actor whose record-breaking performances of Hamlet had defined a generation of American theater. Booth's funeral was conducted shortly after his death as a private affair attended by family and close friends, reflecting both the sensitivity of his history and his high standing within the profession.

He was laid to rest at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where his grave has since become a site of interest for those studying American theater history. Posthumous recognition continued to grow, notably through the dedication of a statue in Gramercy Park, which commemorates his character and his famous rescue of Robert Todd Lincoln. His legacy was further cemented by publications such as an article in The Century Magazine, which helped distinguish his heroic narrative from the infamy of his sibling.[编辑]

iFANN currently estimates the estate of Edwin Booth at approximately $5 million. During his lifetime, Booth earned substantial sums from his tours and theatre management, often commanding thousands of dollars per performance. However, he also spent heavily on his theatrical ventures, particularly Booth's Theatre, which proved a financial burden. After his death in 1893, his estate was managed by his daughter, Edwina Booth Grossman, who compiled and published his letters in 1902. Revenue sources for the estate include royalties from published works, licensing of his name and image for historical publications, and ongoing performances of Shakespearean productions associated with his legacy. The estate has grown modestly over the years through careful management and historical interest. Specific estate valuation figures from his death are not readily available, but his earnings from starring tours and theatre management were significant, though offset by the costs of his ambitious theatrical projects.[编辑]