Francis Gentleman
Francis Gentleman (23 October 1728 - 21 December 1784) was an Irish actor, poet, and dramatic writer of 18th century. He wrote several plays, dramatic works, poems and edited Shakspeare's plays for the stage.
Also recorded as Sir Humphrey Lunatic · Sir Nicholas Nipclose · Nicholas Lunatic
Francis Gentleman
- Born
- 1728
- Died
- 1784
- Occupation
- poet · actor · playwright
- Languages
- English
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q5481050 · wikipedia · Francis Gentleman
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The documentary record
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Institutions cited
Bibliothèque nationale de France · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
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Biography
Biography
Gentleman was born at York St., Dublin, Ireland, on 23 October 1728 to an army captain. He received his education in Dublin and served in the army till dismissed in 1748. While at school, he met John Dexter and Henry Mossop; they shared an interest in the theatre, and after leaving the army, Gentleman took to the stage. He first appeared in Thomas Southerne's stage play Oroonoko - in the character of Aboan. Later, he appeared in Dublin, London, Edinburgh, and many more. He started his career of writing for the stage in England, notably, tragic works like Sejanus and The Sultan of Love and Fame; and comedies like The Modish Wife and The Tobacconist. His writings were not successful or admired. He died at the age of 56 on 21 December 1784.
Documentary record
Francis Gentleman (23 October 1728 – 21 December 1784) is described as an actor and writer in the authority records of the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek. Francis Gentleman was born on 23 October 1728 in Dublin and died on 21 December 1784 in Dublin.
Family
Family
He was married to Ruth and he was a father.
Selected works
Selected works
• Sejanus (1751) • Narcissa and Eliza (1754) • A Trip to the Moon (1765) • The Sultan of Love and Fame (1770) • The Dramatic Censor (1770) • The Censor (1770) • Tobacconist (1771) • The Modish Wife (1773)
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Francis Gentleman, revision 1370436024 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Baldwin, Charles N. A universal biographical dictionary. Biography & Autobiography. 209. 1825.
- 2.Library Ireland. Francis Gentleman. Biographica Dramatica.
- 3.Francis Gentleman. Dictionary of Irish Biography.
- 4.Francis Gentleman. Library Ireland.
- 5.Answers Corporation. Francis Gentleman.
- 6.'Narcissa and Eliza. A dramatic tale', by Francis Gentleman. University of Michigan.
- 7.Francis Gentleman. Open Library.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 25 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
39,529 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Francis Ellingwood AbbotAuthor
- Francis FahyAuthor
- Francis FawkesAuthor
- Francis Fisher BrowneAuthor
- Francis GodwinAuthor
- Francis HarveyAuthor
- Francis Harvey GreenAuthor
- Francis Hastings DoyleAuthor
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