(born July 25, 1853, San Francisco, Calif., U.S.—died May 14, 1931, New York, N.Y.) U.S. theatrical producer and playwright.
He acted with traveling companies before becoming a theatre manager, first in San Francisco and later in New York City (from 1880). An independent producer from 1890, he built his own theatre in 1906; there he introduced changes in stage lighting, used realistic scenery, and demanded high production standards. He successfully fought against the monopolistic Theatrical Syndicate. He wrote or collaborated on numerous plays, including Madame Butterfly (1900) and The Girl of the Golden West (1905), which were made into operas by the Italian composer Giacomo Puccini.
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