Susanna Centlivre

Susanna Centlivre
A mezzotint of Susanna Centlivre by Peter Pelham (1720) originally painted by D. Fermin
Born
Susanna Freeman

1669 (baptised)
Died1 December 1723
NationalityEnglish

Susanna Centlivre (c. 1669 (baptised) – 1 December 1723), born Susanna Freeman, and also known professionally as Susanna Carroll, was an English poet, actress, and "the most successful female playwright of the eighteenth century". Centlivre's "pieces continued to be acted after the theatre managers had forgotten most of her contemporaries." During a long career at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, she became known as the second woman of the English stage, after Aphra Behn.