The Private Secretary

Charles Hawtrey (1858-1923) was an English actor, director, producer, manager, and playwright. Specializing in comedy, Hawtrey earned a reputation as a leading performer of the Victorian era whose work and mentorship inspired such figures as Oscar Wilde, Somerset Maugham, and Noël Coward. After struggling to establish himself as an artist, he launched his career with The Private Secretary, an adaptation of a popular German farce involving the relationship between a clergyman and two irreverent, indebted young men. Knighted for his work in theater, Hawtrey starred in several silent movies toward the end of his life, making him a vital resource for tradition and expertise in a time when the dramatic arts saw extensive stylistic and technological change. Knighted in 1922, Hawtrey was a monumental figure in English theater who adapted with the times he served to define.