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Birth
There is no official record of Kean's birth, but popular documentation holds that he was born out of wedlock to Anne Carey, a street performer, and Edmund Kean Sr., a "mentally unstable youth"," who committed suicide at the age of 22. -
Childhood 1790 - 1804
Documentation is scarce, but Kean spent most of his childhood in the care of Charlotte Tidswell, mistress to Moses Kean, the paternal uncle. Tidswell is a member of the Drury Lane theatre, and both she and Moses pressure Kean to become involved with the arts. -
Kean's first performance
At just four years old, Kean appears as Cupid in the ballet Cymon. He is precocious, but, even at his age, already noted to be obstinate and tempermental. -
Discovery
Kean continues his acting education after Moses’ death at the tutelage of several benefactors. In 1801 he is ‘discovered’ and plays twenty nights as Hamlet at the York Theatre. This performance at age 14 represents the beginning of Kean’s professional career. -
Apprenticeship 1804 - 1814
By the age of 15, Kean is on his own and sets out to join the stage. He joins the Samuel Jerrold Company in Kent, and is engaged to "play the whole round of tragedy, comedy, opera, farce, interlude, and pantomime.” He will spend the next ten years as an apprentice for 15 shillings a week, often feeling unfulfilled and unchallenged. During this time, he turns to vice, most notably developing an addiction to alcohol. -
Wedding to Mary Chambers
Kean marries Mary Chambers, the lead actress of a provincial troupe he has joined. Mary will bear two sons, including actor Charles Kean. -
Richard III opens at the Drury Lane Theatre
Kean follows his acclaimed Shylock with another Shakespeare, this time the title role in Richard III. He was celebrated for the "pernicious wit" he brought to the role, but as Kean's fame grew, so did his reputation for drink and debauchery. -
Years of scandal 1817 - 1819
Kean fulfills his contract with Drury Lane with numerous Shakespeares (Othello, Romeo and Juliet, and more) and other works. However much the audience loves him, though, he gains quite the reputation – butchering roles for playwrights he holds personal grudges against, missing performances in favor of the tavern, and quarreling with the press. Although his naturalism is celebrated, Kean begins to lose his following and critical acclaim. -
Merchant of Venice opens
Already suffering from financial hardship, Kean receives his big break when he is engaged to play Shylock in the Merchant of Venice at the near-bankrupt Drury Lane theatre. He garners great accolades - one critic says to watch him act is "like reading Shakespeare by flashes of lightning." -
American debut
Kean begins his American tour as Richard III in New York. He is largely well-received in America, as his reputation for scandal precedes him. As Kean's tour proceeds, however, American audiences lose their feelings for him as audiences did back in Britain. -
Kean returns home
Although he began the tour with high praise, Kean’s drunkenness has turned American audiences against him. He returns to England with the intent to resume his contract at Drury Lane. Kean will return to America once more, but news of his alcoholism, flakiness, and debauchery precede him and he cuts that trip short. -
Kean sued
After a lengthy extramarital affair with the wife of a London councilmember, Kean is sued and lambasted in the press. He separates from his wife and is allegedly booed with fruit at his next performance. This event marks Kean's move away from the spotlight, and he reduces the frequencies of his stage performances. -
Kean dies
The last years of Kean's life were sadly a "slow suicide by drink and other excesses." He rarely appears on stage, but is engaged to play Othello opposite his son Charles at a Covent Garden performance . He alledgedly collapses onstage into his sons arms, gasping "I am dying - speak to them for me," and passes away a few weeks later from complications of alcoholism. He is 44 years old.
