Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 38.djvu/337

 MOODY, JOHN (1727?–1812), actor, son of a hairdresser named Cochran, was born in Cork, and followed his father's occupation. He himself stated that he was born in Stanhope Street, Clare Market, London. After incurring, as is said, some danger of being forced into the rising of 1745, he went to Jamaica, and acted with some reputation in Kingston as Lear, Hamlet, Romeo, &c. Returning to England with a property of consequence, which he subsequently augmented, he went on the Norwich circuit, where he took the lead in tragedy and comedy, and was Claudio in 'Measure for Measure' on the occasion when Petersen, an actor in the company, playing the king, expired while uttering the speech, 'Reason thus with life.' Tate Wilkinson claims to have been, 20 June 1759, at Portsmouth, Lord Townly in the 'Provoked Husband' to Moody's Manly, and speaks of Moody as having just arrived from Jamaica. He adds that Garrick saw Moody as Locket in the 'Beggar's Opera,' and engaged him for London at thirty shillings a week, Moody stipulating that he should first appear as King Henry VIII (Memoirs, ii. 95 et seq.) This date is not reconcilable with the statements in the lives of Moody in the 'Dramatic Mirror' and elsewhere, according to which Moody played at Drury Lane Thyreus in Capell's alteration of 'Antony and Cleopatra,' vacated through illness by Holland, 12 Jan. 1759, receiving for his performance five guineas from Garrick, and on 22 May appeared as King Henry VIII. Genest first mentions Moody's Henry VIII 22 Oct. 1759, and says that he acted previously Mopsus in 'Damon and Phillida,' presumably on 12 Oct. On 31 Oct. he was the original Kingston in 'High Life below Stairs,' and on 12 Feb. 1760 created his great character of Sir Callaghan O'Brallaghan in Macklin's 'Love a la Mode.' During this season he was the first clown in Garrick's pantomime, 'Harlequin's Invasion,' played an original part in 'Every Woman in her Humour,' assigned to Mrs. Clive, and was Sable in the 'Funeral.'

Moody soon made himself useful to Garrick, and, with one season at the Haymarket and occasional visits to the country, remained at Drury Lane until the end of his theatrical career. In the disgraceful riot against Garrick, led by an Irishman named Fitzpatrick in 1763, Moody had thrust upon him an undesirable publicity. He seized and extinguished, on 25 Jan., a torch with which a maniac in the audience was seeking to set fire to the house. An apology for this was demanded on the following night. Thinking to appease the mob, Moody said, in Irish tones such as he was accustomed to employ, that 'he was very sorry he had displeased them by saving their lives in putting out the fire.' This was held an aggravation of his offence, and the audience insisted that he should go on his knees. He exclaimed, 'I will not, by heaven,' and left the stage, to be embraced by Garrick, who declared that while he had a guinea he would pay Moody his salary. Garrick was compelled to promise that Moody should not appear again on the stage while under the displeasure of the audience. Moody, however, bearded Fitzpatrick, who found himself compelled to withdraw the prohibition, and to promise on behalf of himself and his friends support to the actor on his reappearance.

In the season of 1760-1, among other parts, he essayed Teague in the 'Committee,' one of his great parts, Foigard in the 'Stratagem,' Obediah Prim in 'A Bold Stroke for a Wife,' Robin in 'Contrivances,' Vulture in 'Woman's a Riddle,' and was the original Captain O'Cutter in Colman's 'Jealous Wife,' and Irishman in Reed's 'Register Office,' Among characters assigned him in years immediately following were Henry VI, Richard III, the Miller of Mansfield, Peachum in the 'Beggar's Opera,' Bullock in the 'Recruiting Officer,' Stephano in the 'Tempest,' John Moody in the 'Provoked Husband,' Adam in 'As you like it,' Ben in 'Love for Love,' Teague in the 'Twin Rivals,' Simon Burly in the 'Anatomist,' Vamp in the 'Author,' and innumerable others. He was the original Cratander in Delap's rendering of 'Hecuba,' the Irishman in the 'Jubilee,' and on 19 Jan. 1771 Major O'Flaherty in Cumberland's 'West Indian,' In the last two parts he strengthened his reputation as a comic Irishman, a part which was now ordinarily written for him or assigned to him. He played a Scottish servant, Colin MacLeod, in Cumberland's 'Fashionable Lover,' 20 Jan. 1772, but he resumed his Irish 'creation' as Sir Patrick O'Neale in the 'Irish Widow,' 23 Oct. 1772, an adaptation by Garrick from Molière, and O'Flam in Foote's 'Bankrupt,' in which, 21 July 1773, he appeared at the Haymarket. Back at Drury Lane he was, 9 Nov. 1773, the original Commodore Flip in the 'Fair Quaker,' an alteration, attributed to Captain Thompson, of the 'Fair Quaker of Deal;' Conolly, an Irish clerk, in Kelly's 'School for Wives,' 11 Dec. 1773; and McCormick, 9 Feb. 1774, in 'Note of Hand, or a Trip to Newmarket,' written expressly for him by Cumberland. At Drury Lane he played in following years Cacafogo in 'Rule a Wife and have a Wife,' Second Witch in '