Clarke, John Sleeper (1833-1899)

Clarke, John Sleeper

ACTOR (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)

BORN 3 Sep 1833, Baltimore, Maryland - DIED 24 Sep 1899, Surbiton, Greater London: Westbourne House
BIRTH NAME Sleeper, John Clarke
GRAVE LOCATION Teddington, Greater London: Teddington Cemetery, Shacklegate Lane (Section Fc, Grave 238)

John Sleeper Clarke was born as John Clarke Sleeper, but he changed his name to avoid the suggestion that audiences would fall asleep when he was the stage. He was schoolmate of the actor Edwin Booth (1833-1893) and they were involved in amateur theatre together. He was educated for a law profession, but soon he appeared on the stage in Boston as Frank Hardy in "Paul Pry" in 1851. After an engagement in Philadelphia he appeared in New York in 1855. In 1859 he married the future writer Asia Booth, (1835-1888), Edwin Booth's sister.

After Asia and Edwin's brother John Wilkes Booth (1838-1865) murdered president Abraham Lincoln in 1865, his posession of letters from Booth and the publication of one of them led to his arrest. He was imprisoned for a month. After his release, he told his pregnant wife that they should divorce, because he wanted to distance himself from the name of Booth. She refused, and in August 1865 Asia gave birth to twins. They would have nine children, including the actors Creston Clarke (1865-1910) and Wilfred Clarke (1867-1945).

He was asked for as an actor in London and in 1867 they moved to England, where Asia started writing prose and poetry. Although their marriage was already strained, but they had several more children who died young. Clarke had a very successful career in London. He stayed in England for the rest of his life and visited the USA on four occasions, without his family. His marriage with Asia had detoriated further and according to Asia he lived like a bachelor and he detested her and the Booth name. Asia died in 1888 and according to her own request was buried in Baltimore. Clarke suddenly died in 1899 and he was buried at Teddington Cemetery.

Images

The grave of John Sleeper Clarke at Teddington Cemetery, Teddington, Greater London.
Picture by Androom (11 Aug 2025)