Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Riddle, George

RIDDLE, George, elocutionist, b. in Charlestown, Mass., 22 Sept., 1853. He was graduated at Harvard in 1874, made his first appearance as a reader in Boston in that year, and in 1875 made his début as an actor in that city, playing Romeo after which he became connected with stock-companies in Boston, Montreal, and Philadelphia. From 1878 till 1881 he was instructor in elocution at Harvard. He appeared as Œdipus in the “Œdipus Tyrannus” of Sophocles at Harvard in May, 1881, which was the first production in this country of a Greek play in the original. Mr. Riddle has given readings in the principal cities of the United States, the most successful of which are Shakespeare's “Midsummer-Night's Dream” with Mendelssohn's music, Byron's “Manfred” with Schumann's music, and the “Œdipus Tyrannus” with the music of John K. Paine.