Born on November 18, 1833 near Bel Air, Maryland, Edwin Thomas Booth was the son of Junius Brutus Booth and Mary Ann Holmes. He was the seventh of ten children, six of whom lived to adulthood. Edwin's father was an actor and Edwin accompanied him on tour to make sure he didn't drink. It was then that he was introduced to the theatre, and it was at the age of fifteen that Edwin made his stage debut as Tressel in Richard III. (Giblin, 2-20) From then on, Edwin was fascinated. His life was not perfect, in fact, much of it was overshadowed by tragedy and sadness. Edwin Booth overcame his tragic personal life to become one of the most accomplished and respected American actors of the nineteenth century. Edwin was never without sorrow or regret. His father, Junius Brutus, caught a severe cold on a ship from New Orleans, up the Mississippi River to Cincinnati. It caused him to become very thirsty and thirsty, and his father drank glasses of contaminated river water. On November 30, 1852 the famous actor died. Edwin was only nineteen when he heard the news, which sent waves of depression. Edwin developed a drinking habit trying to escape his depression, just like his father. (Giblin, 27, 31) After his father's death, Edwin (who was living in San Francisco at the time) performed with local theater companies. On April 25, 1853, Edwin played Hamlet for the first time. Critics were impressed and predicted an impressive future for the budding actor. “We can also foresee a high degree of success for the promising young artist when he has overcome some unpleasant defects of intonation and delivery and has achieved a profound conception of the part.” –Ferdinand C. Ewer for the Daily Alta California (G...... middle of paper ......m, but continued to act anyway. On April 4, 1891, he played Hamlet for his last time on stage. performance was average, but Edwin's fans were never disappointed to see him act. During some parts of the show, Edwin showed his true brilliance, and critics noticed it for the first time,” David Belasco, said a Broadway producer, referring to the soliloquy "To be or not to be" (Giblin, 216) Edwin Booth suffered much of his life with pain and sadness, but he never let that get in the way of the theater he returned to the stage, performing on many tours, breaking records, earning international admiration and earning the high opinion of critics. This was more than most actors of his time could say, making Edwin one of the most skilled and talented actors in America and highly respected. of the nineteenth century.