Colley Cibber

About

English playwright, actor, artistic manager, and poet who was a theater artist and a manager. He wrote the memoir Apology for the Life of Colley Cibber.

Before Fame

He began acting at Drury Lane in 1690 and was initially unsuccessful, though he later earned some popular acclaim for his comic roles.

Trivia

He was widely ridiculed in his time for being a sub-par playwright and poet and a laughable dramatic actor.

Family Life

He married Katherine Shore in 1693, and the couple had twelve children.

Associated With

He was painted as an idiot in Alexander Pope's poem, "The Dunciad," and Pope's satire threw Cibber farther into infamy.