Occupation Stage actor Name George Aiken | Role Playwright | |
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Born December 19, 1830 ( 1830-12-19 ) Boston, Massachusetts Died April 27, 1876, Jersey City, New Jersey, United States Books Reminiscences - Leaves From An Actor's Life | ||
Resting place Mount Auburn Cemetery | ||
George L. Aiken (December 19, 1830 – April 27, 1876) was a nineteenth-century American playwright and actor who is best known for writing the most popular of the numerous stage adaptations of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Aiken was a writer of dime novels before he turned to theatre. He became an actor in the troupe of his cousin, George C. Howard. In 1852, shortly after the publication of Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, Aiken wrote his stage adaptation. It was performed by Howard's company, with Aiken playing the hero, George Harris. The play become a spectacular success. His other works include a dramatization of Ann S. Stephen's novel The Old Homestead. He retired from the stage in 1867.
Aiken's original manuscripts for Uncle Tom's Cabin were passed down through the family along with other memorabilia from Howard's company. The family placed the collection at the Harry Ransom Center in 1963.