Harry Watkins (actor)

Harry Watkins (January 14, 1825 – February 5, 1894) was an American actor, diarist, playwright and theatre manager, whose career spanned the latter half of the nineteenth century. He is best remembered for his diary, kept from 1845 to 1860, which is considered a rare source of firsthand information about theater in the U.S. during the antebellum period.

After beginning his long acting career in 1845, Watkins became manager of P. T. Barnum's American Museum's theatrical enterprises in 1857. He performed in England from 1860 to 1863. He was the author of more than 25 plays by 1889. His 13-volume diary, kept from 1845 to 1860, is a rare source of firsthand information about the theater during the antebellum period.