Louis Aldrich

Louis Aldrich, born Salma Lyon on October 1, 1843, was an American stage actor who appeared on Broadway and later served as president of the Actors' Fund of America. The circumstances of his birth are disputed: one account, cited in a 1913 profile in The New York Clipper, places his birth on the Ohio state line, while George Earlie Shankle's 1955 book on American nicknames states he was born at sea during his mother's voyage from Germany to the United States, and that he was subsequently adopted by a family in Cincinnati, Ohio. He attended Whitewater College in Wayne County, Indiana, through 1857, and eventually adopted Louis Aldrich as both his legal and professional name.

Before 1857, Aldrich was already performing as a child actor, taking on roles including Richard III, Macbeth, Shylock, Claude Melnotte, and Young Norval. He was billed under designations such as "The Ohio Roscius" and "The Boy Prodigy." From 1858 through 1863, he was a member of the juvenile March Players of St. Louis, Missouri, performing under the billing "Master Louis." The company traveled to California in 1860 and subsequently to Australia and New Zealand, where they remained for two and a half years. Returning to California in 1863, the troupe played in San Francisco for four weeks before disbanding. Aldrich then joined Maguire's Opera House Company in San Francisco, where he remained through 1866.

In March 1866, Aldrich joined the stock company at the Boston Theatre, making his opening appearance as Nathan opposite Ellen Bateman's Leah, stepping in at the last moment for Frank Mayo, whose name had already appeared on the posters. He remained with the Boston Theatre for eight seasons, appearing in revivals of numerous plays and supporting performers including Forrest, Booth, and Cushman in leading roles. During this period he appeared in Armadale in 1870 and also performed in Leah the Forsaken.

From 1873, Aldrich moved through several companies in succession. He served as leading man for Mrs. John Drew's Arch Street Players in Philadelphia, performed as a stock star at Wood's Museum in New York, worked with John T. Ford's company in Baltimore, and appeared at Booth's Theatre in New York. For the seasons of 1877–78 and 1878–79, he appeared with McKee Rankin as Parson in The Danites.

On August 22, 1879, Aldrich brought out Bartley Campbell's My Partner at the Union Square Theatre in New York, playing the role of Joe Saunders. This production represents his verified Broadway credit, with his Broadway appearances spanning 1879 to 1880. In partnership with Charles T. Parsloe, he continued presenting the melodrama in cities and towns across the United States through 1885. On September 11, 1888, he produced The Kaffir Diamond at the Broadway Theatre in New York, and two years later starred in The Editor.

During the 1892–93 season, Aldrich played General Colgate in Augustus Thomas's war drama Surrender, produced under the management of Charles Frohman. The cast included Rose Eytinge, Maude Banks, W. H. Crompton, Burr McIntosh, and Harry Woodruff. He subsequently appeared in Her Atonement and made periodic returns to My Partner. In 1893 he performed in The Senator at the Grand Opera House in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

In 1897, Aldrich was elected president of the Actors' Fund of America, a position he held until his death. He died on June 17, 1901, in Kennebunkport, Maine.