David Garrick (1716-1779) after a miniature by William Essex after the Gemalde of Robert Edge Pine. David Garrick(19 February 1717 in Hereford - 20 January 1779) - English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of theatrical practice throughout the 18th century and was a pupil and friend of Dr Samuel Johnson. His appearance in the title role of Shakespeare's Richard III drew the attention of audiences and managers began to take notice. With the success of Richard III and a number of other roles, Garrick was engaged for a season at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane where he remained for the next five years and purchased a share of the theatre which inaugurated twenty-nine years of Garrick's management of the Drury Lane, during which time, it rose to prominence as one of the leading theatres in Europe. At his death, he was given a lavish public funeral at Westminster Abbey where he was laid in Poet's Corner.