Mansfield, Richard (1854–1907)

German-born English stage actor. He first attracted attention in light opera productions in London, England, then moved over to the New York theatre in 1883. One of the last practitioners of the romantic style of acting, his most famous roles were as Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1887), Beau Brummel (1890), and Cyrano de Bergerac (1898). He struggled to bring new plays, including those of George Bernard Shaw, to the US stage, but had more success with revivals. Mansfield was born in Berlin, Germany, to English parents. He first travelled to the USA in 1872 and thereafter alternated between America and England.