A thread for Dorothea Jordan, born #OTD 1761, genius of the stage. She fled rape and coercion at the hands of a theatre manager in her native Dublin, arriving in England pregnant by him.
She worked as a strolling player until her child was 3. Then she got her break at Drury Lane.

She made her name in sparky roles in farces, sometimes playing children, and was celebrated for her 'breeches roles', ie those in which she wore mens' clothes. An energetic comic actor, she could also be soulful and tragic. Viola in Twelfth Night was a great Venn of her strengths

She began a relationship with the Duke of Clarence (later King William IV) in 1791. Mocking satirical cartoons recalled her role in The Devil To Pay, in which a humble woman is magically transfigured into a fine lady. Others made fun of her name 'Jordan', slang for chamber pot.

She and the Duke moved to Bushy Park, west of London; she was the breadwinner, commuting in to her acting jobs. She often took some of her children (she had 14 in total, one dying in infancy) with her, and each year appeared on stage with her current baby

She was generally presented as a comic genius in counterpart to Sarah Siddons' tragic one. Comedy was a natural gift; tragedy was a studied discipline. Mrs J was earthy and untutored, Mrs S cultivated and well bred. Mrs Siddons was married; Mrs Jordan was not.