Joseph Proctor


Joseph Proctor was a popular 19th-century American actor. He was best known for playing the lead role in the melodrama Nick of the Woods.

Career

Proctor was born in Marlborough, Massachusetts, in 1816 to Nicholson and Lucy Proctor. He first appeared on stage in Boston in November 1833 playing Damon in John Banim's Damon and Pythias. By 1837 he was playing lead roles in Philadelphia. Commencing on May 6, 1839 at the Bowery Theatre in New York, he took the lead role of Nathan Slaughter in Nick of the Woods Though he played many other roles in his career, this was the "play with which his name was so continuously associated as to create the impression that he never acted any other characters of consequence." He performed the role over 2,500 times.
Proctor performed throughout the United States and did some theater management. He went to Europe to perform from 1859–61. He retired from the stage in the 1880s, except for occasional benefit appearances.

Personal

Proctor first married Hester Warren in 1837, one of the daughters of actor William Warren. Their daughter Anna E. Proctor also went on stage. In 1851 he married Elizabeth Wakeman. Their daughter Anna E. Proctor also went on stage later. Proctor died in Boston on October 2, 1897.