William Gorman Wills

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WG Wills

William Gorman Wills (born January 28, 1828 in Killmury , Ireland , † December 13, 1891 in London ) was an Irish playwright and painter.

Life

Wills was the son of James Wills (1790–1868), author of Lives of Ilh'strious and Distinguished Irishmen . He attended Waterford Grammar School and Trinity College in Dublin . After years as a journalist and man of letters in Dublin, he moved to London, where he wrote stories for magazines. In order to improve his standard of living, he began to work as a portrait painter from 1868. The lack of artistic training made up for his talent. He soon got a good living as a result, but over time he lost many models to his non-conformist, self-centered way of life.

William Gorman Wills: Ophelia and Laertes , ca.1880

In the meantime he had started writing for the stage. His first work, Man o'Airlie , was performed at the Princess's theater in London in 1867 . As early as 1872 he was hired by Colonel Bateman as a dramatist at the Lyceum Theater in London . Here he wrote Medea in Corinth , Charles I and Eugene Aram , which were performed at the Lyceum between 1872 and 1873. Henry Irving often played the male lead.

Until the 1890s, Will's plays were performed in London theaters such as Lyceum , Adelphi , Olympic , Princess’s , Haymarket , Drury Lane , Duke’s , Prince’s , Globe Theater , Court and Criterion .

Wills was close friends with the architect and designer Edward William Godwin , with Wills benefiting from Godwin's knowledge of Greek costumes for his historical dramas. In 1883 Godwin designed the sets and costumes for the play Claudian , which was performed by Wilson Barrett at the Princess's Theater . This performance received special praise from Oscar Wilde .

Wills also wrote a few ballads. When his mother, who had supported him for many years, died in 1887, he lost his drive to write. Wills died in London's Guy's Hospital in December 1891 at the age of 62.

plant

Dramas

  • Man o'Airlie (1867)
  • Medea in Corinth (1872)
  • Charles I. (1872)
  • Eugene Aram (1873)
  • Don Quixote (1895)
  • Claudian (1883)
  • Juana (1880)
  • Faust (1885)
  • Rienzi (1887)

Ballads

  • I'll sing thee songs of Araby (1877)

painting

  • Ophelia and Laertes (ca.1880)
personal data
SURNAME Wills, William Gorman
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Irish playwright
DATE OF BIRTH January 28, 1828
PLACE OF BIRTH Killmury
DATE OF DEATH December 13, 1891
Place of death London