JEFFLINE Forum - October 2000

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The Headless Actor

Along with its collection of paper documents, holdings in the Thomas Jefferson University Archives encompass a variety of artifacts ranging from surgical instruments to apothecary kits. But with the exception of teaching skeletons, the Archives does not possess any human body parts on the scale of say, the Mütter Museum at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. However, the Archives does possess the skull of a famous Shakespearean actor. Born in England, this man spent his life in the theater and was considered one of the greatest actors of his time. His portrayal of Richard III was a hit with audiences and critics alike. A hopeless alcoholic, he died a pauper in New York and was buried in St. Paul's Cemetery. Who was this man and how did his skull end up at Jefferson? John Barrymore George F. Cooke Laurence Olivier Edwin Booth If your browser won't display the solution above, use this link to display the answer. Related Links:

The Mütter Museum Here's a site about the history of Richard III that mentions our Headless Actor Send comments about this article to Forum.Jefferson@jefferson.edu.

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