Thomas Hailes Lacy
Thomas Hailes Lacy | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1809 |
| Died | 1873-08-01 Sutton, Surrey, England |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, playwright, theatrical manager, bookseller, publisher |
| Years active | 1828–1873 |
| Known for | Lacy's Acting Edition of Plays |
Thomas Hailes Lacy (1809 – 1 August 1873) was an English actor, playwright, theatrical manager, bookseller, and publisher specializing in theatre.
Life
Lacy made his first appearance on the West End stage in 1828 but soon transitioned into theatre management. From 1841 until its destruction by fire in 1935, he managed The Theatre in Sheffield. On 25 January 1842, he wed actress Frances Dalton, professionally known as Fanny Cooper, who was a prominent figure at Covent Garden and the Haymarket. The pair toured across England, with Lacy taking on roles such as Jacques in As You Like It and Banquo in Macbeth, frequently performing alongside his wife in major productions.
During the mid-1840s, Lacy launched a theatrical bookselling enterprise in London, initially located on Wellington Street, Covent Garden, and later moving to 89 Strand from 1857. He pioneered the publication of acting editions of contemporary playscripts, providing actors with complete access to scripts. His series, Lacy's Acting Edition of Plays, issued between 1848 and 1873, included over 100 volumes encompassing 1,485 individual titles.
In 1859, Lacy formed a partnership with American businessman Samuel French, who had begun a comparable publishing operation in New York five years prior. They served as each other's international representatives. When French permanently settled in London in 1872 and Lacy retired the following year without heirs, he sold his company to French for £5,000.
Lacy's wife passed away in 1872; they had one son who suffered from mental illness and died in 1895. Thomas Hailes Lacy died on 1 August 1873 in Sutton, Surrey. After his death, his estate resolved a copyright infringement dispute by paying £250 following negotiation.
Works by Lacy
- The Tower of London (play, 1840) (co-written with Thomas Higgie)
- The School for Daughters (comedy, 1843) (co-authored with Dennis Lawler)
- Martin Chuzzlewit (play, 1844) (with Thomas Higgie)
- Clarissa Harlowe (tragedy, 1846) (collaborated with John Courtney)
- The Pickwickians; or the Peregrinations of Sam Weller (farce, 1850) – adapted from Samuel Weller, or, The Pickwickians (1837)
- A Silent Woman (farce, 1851)
- Belphegor; or, The Mountebank (drama, 1851; adapted from French; with Thomas Higgie)
- Jeanette's Wedding Day (farce adapted from Les Noces de Jeanette, 1855)