William Henry Chippendale (14 August 1801, Somers Town, London

Somers Town, London

Somers Town, was named for Charles Cocks, 1st Baron Somers. The area in St Pancras, London, was originally granted by William III to John Somers, Lord Chancellor and Baron Somers of Evesham. It was to be strongly influenced by the three mainline north London railway termini: Euston , St...

 – 3 January 1888) was an English actor, known in particular for his portrayal of old men. Following his acting debut in Scotland in 1819, he performed in Scottish theatres until he moved to New York on the invitation of theatre manager Steven Price in 1836. Chippendale spent 17 years at Price's Park Theatre in New York.

Chippendale returned to the United Kingdom in 1853, performing at the Haymarket Theatre

Haymarket Theatre

The Theatre Royal Haymarket is a West End theatre in the Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use...

 for over two decades, and took the role of Polonius

Polonius

Polonius is a character in William Shakespeare's Hamlet. He is King Claudius's chief counsellor, and the father of Ophelia and Laertes. Polonius connives with Claudius to spy on Hamlet...

 in the Henry Irving

Henry Irving

Sir Henry Irving , born John Henry Brodribb, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility for season after season at the Lyceum Theatre, establishing himself and his company as...

 production of Hamlet

Hamlet

The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...

 at the Lyceum. He retired at the end of the 1870s.

His third wife was a fellow Haymarket actor, the actress Mary Jane Seaman

Mary Jane Seaman

Mary Jane Seaman, married name Mrs. Chippendale was an English actress.Mary Jane Seaman was an actress who played in the provinces before playing Mrs Wellington de Boots in Joseph Stirling Coyne's comedy Everybody's Friend at the Theatre Royal, Manchester in October 1859...

. Chippendale had twenty-three children, most of whom predeceased him. He was buried at Highgate

Highgate

Highgate is an area of North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath.Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has an active conservation body, the Highgate Society, to protect its character....

.