A Leading Man: Ira Aldridge’s Self-Presentation and Audience Reception

Abstract In 1833, Ira Aldridge, the first professional actor of African descent in Britain, performed as Othello for London’s Covent Garden theater, marking a significant moment in Aldridge’s career. This article examines how Aldridge presented himself as a qualified Shakespearean actor to British audiences while challenging Victorian racial stereotypes about men of African descent. Examining how audiences responded to his embodiment of Othello, both in London and during his provincial tours, this article argues that Aldridge worked to allay the racial anxieties of his audiences by seeking out roles that counteracted the negative stereotypes embedded in Othello’s character development, including the role of Fabian in The Black Doctor. In portraying Fabian, the titular doctor, Aldridge presented an alternative Black hero who, unlike Othello, challenged racial fears that Black men pose a threat to white women. By taking on this role, Aldridge interceded in the racial imagination of the Victorian British public, promoting his theatrical work as culturally liberalizing.