(1866-1933)
Born in San Francisco, the pugilist turned actor was known as "Gentleman Jim" from the time he defeated John L. Sullivan in 1892, demonstrating the triumph of brains over brawn. Producer William A. Brady managed Corbett before and after that world championship, claiming in his memoir Showman that he regarded the Sullivan fight as a publicity stunt for Corbett's appearance in a play. "You only had to see Corbett walk on stage to see that he was a natural actor" (1937, 83). Brady found vehicles in which to star Corbett: Gentleman Jack (1892), which he presented in London, and the Naval Cadet (1896). In 1906, Stanislaus Stange directed Corbett in Cashel Byron's Profession by George Bernard Shaw. Corbett later ventured into vaudeville as a monologist, ran a saloon at 34th and Broadway, and wrote his memoir The Roar of the Crowd (1925).
The Historical Dictionary of the American Theater. James Fisher.