James A. Herne (born James Ahearn; February 1, 1839 – June 2, 1901) was an American playwright and actor.
Biography
Stage actor
James A. Herne was born February 1, 1839, in Cohoes, New York.
Playwright
Herne was the first American playwright to incorporate dramatic realism. He ventured away from nineteenth century dramatic romance and melodrama. Much of Herne's work faded into obscurity in the twentieth century. However, he exerted a profound influence, directing American dramatic literature toward the depiction of complex socially realities. This was illustrated in his controversial play Margaret Fleming (1890). The work singled him out as an influential figure in 19th-century drama.
Herne's first successful play, Hearts of Oak, was written and produced with Belasco in 1879. After this, Herne focused mostly on writing. Of his later plays, only a handful saw financial success in his lifetime. He continued to act, often in his own works, but also in the plays of others. In 1897 Herne played Nathaniel Berry in Shore Acres at the Harlem Opera House. It was the sixth consecutive season that he portrayed this character.
Death
James A. Herne died at his home, 79 Convent Avenue, in Manhattan, New York City, on June 2, 1901, at 5:00 pm of pneumonia. He initially fell ill two months earlier in Chicago, where he was appearing in his production Sag Harbor.
Works
- Within an Inch of his Life with David Belasco (1879)
- Marriage by Moonlight with David Belasco (1879)
- Hearts of Oak with David Belasco (1879); from "The Mariner's Compass" by Henry Leslie
- The Minute Men (1886)
- Drifting Apart (1888)
- Margaret Fleming (1890)
- Shore Acres (1893)
- Art for Truth's Sake (essay) (1897)
- The Reverend Griffith Davenport (1899)
- Sag Harbor (1900)
Footnotes
Further reading
- Arthur Hobson Quinn, The Early Plays of James A. Herne. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1940.
- "James Ahearn Herne," Literature Resource Center.
- "Theaters," New York Times, October 10, 1897, pg. 5.
External links
- James Herne biography with photo