Colley Cibber

He was born in London, his father being Caius Gabriel Cibber, a Danish sculptor living in England. Cibber began his career as an actor at Drury Lane Theatre in 1690. He quickly became popular as a comedy performer, playing parts such as Lord Foppington in Vanbrugh's play, The Relapse. As a playwright, his first work, Love's Last Shift (1696), made his name, and he followed it up with a popular adaptation of Shakespeare's Richard III, which was the standard version from 1700 until the mid-Victorian era. In 1710, he became manager of the Drury Lane theatre, but was generally unpopular. In 1730, he was made Poet Laureate, an appointment which attracted widespread scorn.

Cibber's son, Theophilus, married the singer Susannah Maria Arne (sister of Thomas Arne).