John Bannister (1760-1836), Comedian

Sitter in 8 portraits
Jack (John) Bannister had been a student at the Royal Academy Schools before making his acting debut in 1778. He remained a close friend of his fellow student, the caricaturist Thomas Rowlandson, throughout his life. He found success with the part of Don Ferolo Whiskerandos in Richard Brinsley Sheridan's The Critic (1779) and made a reputation for himself as a popular light comedian with a good singing voice. He was particularly associated with the summer seasons at the Haymarket Theatre and married the company's principal singer, Elizabeth Harper, in 1783.