James A. Herne

James A. Herne was a prominent American actor and playwright of the 19th century. He was born as James Ahearn in Cohoes, New York in the year 1839. His name was allegedly changed during his career as an actor due to a misprint on a set of posters. Herne made his theatrical debut at age 20 in Uncle Tom’s Cabin. After acting with theatre companies in Baltimore and Albany, he came to be manager of the New York Grand Opera House. His second marriage to actress Katherine Corcoran showed to be a turning point in his career. Katherine convinced her husband to spend his time writing plays rather than performing in them. Although he continued to act, Herne wrote a number of plays in the years following his marriage to Corcoran. It is though that some of “his most important plays were written definitely with her in mind as the leading woman”. His first show entitled Hearts of Oak was produced only a year after his marriage. His other shows included The Minute Men, Shore Acres, and Drifting Apart. Herne’s plays brought him much fame and success. They included “a note of simplicity, of sympathy, of reality, which lifts them into the realm of true drama”.

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