Benjamin Johnson (c. 1665-1742) was an English actor.
He was first a scene painter, then acted in the provinces, and appeared in London in 1695 at Drury Lane after Thomas Betterton's defection. He was the original Captain Driver in Oronooko (1696), Captain Fireball in George Farquhar's Sir Harry Wildair (1701) and Sable in Richard Steele's Funeral (1702); he was particularly well regarded as the First Gravedigger in Hamlet and as several characters in the plays of Ben Jonson. He also succeeded to Thomas Doggett's roles.
Famous quotes containing the words benjamin and/or johnson:
“These are days when no one should rely unduly on his “competence.” Strength lies in improvisation. All the decisive blows are struck left-handed.”
—Walter Benjamin (1892–1940)
“If a man could say nothing against a character but what he can prove, history could not be written.”
—Samuel Johnson (1709–1784)