orig. Dionysius Lardner Boursiquot
born Dec. 26, 1820/22, Dublin, Ire.
died Sept. 18, 1890, New York, N.Y., U.S.
Irish-born U.S. playwright.
He began acting in 1837 and wrote the successful comedy London Assurance (1841) and The Corsican Brothers (1852). In 1853 he moved to New York City, where he was instrumental in obtaining the first copyright law for drama in the U.S. His successful play The Poor of New York (1857) was presented elsewhere
as, for example, The Poor of London . Concerned with social themes, he wrote a veiled attack on slavery in The Octoroon (1859). He also wrote a series of popular Irish plays, including The Colleen Bawn (1860) and The Shaughraun (1874).