Edwin Forrest - Early Life

Early Life

Forrest was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, of Scottish and German descent. His father died and he was brought up by his mother, a German woman of humble origins. He was educated at the common schools in Philadelphia, and early evinced a taste for the theatre. Edmund Kean was at that time in the meridian of his fitful career; William A. Conway, Thomas Apthorpe Cooper, and Junius Booth were playing under the management of the actors William B. Wood and William Warren. Constant attendance at the performances of these artists fired Forrest's ambition and aroused his enthusiasm for the dramatic profession, to the deep grief of his pious mother. At an early age he had given pain to his parents by taking an humble part in a dramatic performance.