Author: Colman, George, the younger
Biography:
Colman, George, the younger (1762-1836: ODNB)
pseudonym Peter Groadgrin
Son of the George Colman the elder (q.v.), a highly successful playwright and theatre manager, and Sarah Ford, later Colman. He was well educated and his father tried to make a lawyer of him, but he was drawn to the stage. Two of his plays were performed before he left university. He eloped with an actress, Catharine Morris, in 1784, but kept the marriage a secret from his family. (The couple separated before 1801, by which time Colman was living with Maria Gibbs, whom he apparently married in the early 1820s after the death of his first wife. He had one son with each of them.) When his father became ill in 1785, Colman began to take over his responsibilities in the theatre and continued to write plays--comedies, farces, historical dramas, and musicals. Unfortunately, Colman the elder had been cheated by his banker. On his death in 1794, his son inherited large debts, which he attempted to work off. Struggling also with lawsuits, he was obliged to mortgage and eventually to sell his share in the Haymarket Theatre. In 1824 he was appointed Examiner of Plays, a position he held until his death. (ODNB 6 May 2018)
Other Names:
- Colman