Fred Marsden

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Fred Marsden
Born
William A. Silver

1842 (1842)
DiedMay 19, 1888(1888-05-19) (aged 45–46)
Cause of deathsuicide
Occupationslawyer, playwright
Known formelodramas and farces
Notable worksee Notable works
Childrenat least 1 daughter
FatherAbraham Silver

Fred Marsden (1842 – May 19, 1888) was an American playwright.[1]

Life and career

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Born William A. Silver in Baltimore, Maryland, Marsden was the son of Abraham Silver.[1] He was educated as a lawyer in Philadelphia and began his career as a lawyer in that city prior to working as a playwright.[2] He wrote his first play in 1872 at which time he changed his name to Fred Marsden.[1]

Notable works

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He penned both melodramas and farces; usually writing for the specific talents of well known performers of the second half of the 19th century.

For Lotta Crabtree he wrote the plays Zip (1874),[2] Musette (1876),[2] and Bob (188?).[3]

For the actress Annie Pixley he wrote Zara (1883) and Elly (1885).[1]

For the Irish comedian Joseph Murphy he wrote Cheek (1883) and Humbug (1886), and for William J. Scanlan he wrote the farce The Irish Minstrel (1886).[2]

Death

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Marsden committed suicide on May 19, 1888 at his home in Manhattan following a quarrel with his daughter.[1]

References

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  2. ^ a b c d Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  3. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).