Henry Hamilton was an English dramatist and lyricist who was born in
1853 at Nunhead, Surrey, England. He made his theatrical debut as an
actor in 1873 at Edinburgh's Theatre Royal before moving on to London,
where he appeared at the Drury Lane and the Lyceum Theatre. After ten
years as a thespian, he quit acting to become a playwright.
His first produced play was "A Shadow Sceptre". He frequently
collaborated with
Cecil Raleigh and
Augustus Harris. Hamilton and Raleigh's
plays
The Whip (1928) (1912),
"
Stolen Orders (1918)" (1915),
"
The Hope (1920)", "The Derby Winner"
a.k.a.
The Sporting Duchess (1920)
(1895, co-written with Harris), and
The Best of Luck (1920)
(co-written with Arthur Collins) were adapted for the movies, as was
another collaboration with Harris without Raleigh,
The Royal Oak (1923). He worked
extensively in musical theater and, as a lyricist, wrote the popular
jingoistic song "Private Tommy Atkins".
Henry Hamilton died in Kent, England on September 4, 1918.
The Whip(1928)
The Hope(1920)
The Best of Luck(1920)
The Sporting Duchess(1920)