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James K. Hackett

American actor (1869–1926)

Correspondence, annotated notebooks and portrait silhouettes prepared for research
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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 25, 2026
Entity authorityQ15500465 ↗
Source-derived summary

James Keteltas Hackett (September 6, 1869 – November 8, 1926) was an American actor and manager.

Life

Hackett was the son of Clara C. and James Henry Hackett, a comedian and celebrated Falstaff. He was born on Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada. His elderly father died at age 71 when Hackett was just two years old.

Hackett attended New York's Grammar School 69 and graduated with a B.A. degree from the College of the City of New York in 1891. He made his professional debut as an actor in Philadelphia in 1892, as Francois in The Broken Seal. In New York later that year, he played opposite Mrs. Potter. Later in the decade, he played Romeo to Olga Nethersole's Juliet, and Mercutio to Maude Adams's Juliet.

After a year on tour, Hackett opened in a theatrical adaptation of Rupert of Hentzau at the Lyceum Theatre in New York City on April 10, 1899, playing King Rudolf and his lookalike Rudolf Rassendyll.

Editorial summary

“James K. Hackett” enters the record as american actor (1869–1926). Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what James, Hackett and American can confirm, complicate or overturn.

Editorial reviewA useful biographical orientation record, particularly for establishing names, roles and a first chronology. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1869, 1926, 1891, 1892—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1869-09-06. Its strongest next move is a source search built around James, Hackett and American.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

“James K. Hackett” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, James, Hackett and American provides the most credible route into that argument.

Evidence profile

Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q15500465. VIAF identifies the subject as 26323364. The Library of Congress control number is n96024305. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1869, 1926, 1891 and 1892.

Critical limits

A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.

Best used for
  • Establishing names and roles
  • Building a first chronology
  • Locating cited institutions
Verify next

Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “James K. Hackett”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow James K. Hackett primary sources, James K. Hackett archive and James research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “James K. Hackett”?
  2. How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
  3. Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “James K. Hackett” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.