Before becoming the King's Men, what was Shakespeare's main acting company called?

Before becoming the King’s Men, Shakespeare’s main acting company was the Lord Chamberlain’s Men.

The company formed around 1594 under the patronage of Henry Carey, Lord Hunsdon, who served as Lord Chamberlain of England. Its leading actors included William Shakespeare, Richard Burbage, John Heminges, Henry Condell, and William Kempe. Shakespeare wrote many of his major plays for this troupe.

The company briefly became known as Lord Hunsdon’s Men after Henry Carey died in 1596 and his son George Carey inherited the patronage. When George became Lord Chamberlain in 1597, the company resumed the better-known name. Its association with the Burbage family also connected it to The Theatre and, later, the Globe.

The name changed in 1603, after Elizabeth I died and James VI of Scotland became James I of England. James took the troupe under royal patronage, and it became the King’s Men. The Admiral’s Men and the Queen’s Men were separate companies, not earlier names for Shakespeare’s troupe.