Who was the first actor to play the role of Hamlet?

Richard Burbage was the first actor to play the role of Hamlet.

Burbage was the leading tragedian of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, Shakespeare’s company, and later performed with the King’s Men. Shakespeare appears to have written Hamlet’s demanding title role with Burbage’s abilities in mind, including his emotional range and capacity to memorize exceptionally long speeches.

Burbage also originated several other major Shakespearean roles, including Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, Romeo, and Richard III. His partnership with Shakespeare was unusually close: Burbage performed the roles while Shakespeare supplied many of the plays that made the company famous.

A common mix-up is confusing the actor with Shakespeare himself, who wrote the play but was not its first Hamlet. Edward Alleyn was another celebrated Elizabethan tragedian, but he was associated especially with Christopher Marlowe’s heroic roles rather than Hamlet. Burbage continued acting until his death in 1619 and remained one of London’s most admired performers.