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[[File:Charles Haddon Chambers 001.jpg|thumb|C. H. Chambers c. 1888]]
'''Charles Haddon Spurgeon Chambers''' (22 April 1860 – 28 March 1921) was an [[Australia]]-born [[playwright|dramatist]], active in England.<ref name = ADB>{{cite book|title= Chambers, Charles Haddon (1860–1921) by B. G. Andrews |chapter= Charles Haddon Chambers (1860–1921)|publisher= Australian Dictionary of Biography|chapter-url= https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/chambers-charles-haddon-5547|accessdate= 28 June 2023}}</ref>

==Early life==
Chambers was born in [[Petersham, New South Wales|Petersham]], [[Sydney]], the son of John Ritchie Chambers, who had a good position in the [[New South Wales]] civil service, came from [[Ulster]], his mother, Frances, daughter of William Kellett, from [[Waterford]]. Charles was educated at the Petersham, Marrickville, and [[Fort Street High School|Fort Street High]] schools, but found routine study tedious and showed no special promise. He entered the lands department at 15 but did not stay long. After two years in the outback working as a boundary rider, in 1880 he was invited by cousins to return with them to [[Ulster]], from there he visited England. On Chambers' return he was in the managerial department of the Montague-Turner opera company.

==Career==
In 1882 Chambers moved to England; he had no friends there and had to try various occupations in order to make a living. Chambers wrote letters from London for [[The Bulletin (Australian periodical)|The Bulletin]]. In 1884 his first story was accepted, and other work appeared in popular magazines of the time like ''Society'' and ''Truth''. In 1886 a one-act play, ''One of Them'', was acted in London and another curtain-raiser, ''The Open Gate'', was played at the [[Comedy Theatre]] in 1887. His first real success was ''[[Captain Swift (play)|Captain Swift]]'', which was produced by [[Herbert Beerbohm Tree|Beerbohm Tree]] at the [[Haymarket Theatre]] in the autumn of 1888. In the United States [[Maurice Barrymore]] played ''Captain Swift'' on Broadway. This play had a good run and was played all over England, in America, and in Australia. He had another success with ''The Idler'' (1890). His next three plays ''The Honourable Herbert, The Old Lady'', and ''The Pipes of Peace'' did not achieve success, but ''John-O-Dreams'', first played in 1894, was successful. Also in 1894, he had some success with ''The Fatal Card''. In 1899 possibly his best play, ''The Tyranny of Tears'', was produced by [[Charles Wyndham (actor)|Charles Wyndham]] and was frequently revived. Among his later plays ''Passers By'' (1911) and ''The Saving Grace'' (1917) are possibly the best.

The famous London-based Australian [[operatic]] [[soprano]], Dame [[Nellie Melba]], was his mistress for a number of years. The relationship ended in 1904 for reasons which remain unclear.

==Late life==
Chambers retained his interest in Australia and spoke of returning there but never did so. He died at the [[Bath Club]], London of cerebro-vascular disease on 28 March 1921 and was buried at [[Kensal Green Cemetery]].

He was twice married, and was survived by his second wife, originally Nelly Louise Burton but known professionally as 'Pepita Bobadilla', and a daughter of the first marriage to Mary, ''née'' Dewer. His widow married [[Sidney Reilly]], "Ace of Spies", in 1923.

==Works==
[[File:Captain Swift (1920) - Williams 2.jpg|thumb|Still from the film of ''Captain Swift'' (1920) with [[Earle Williams]]]]
*[[Captain Swift (play)|''Captain Swift'']] 1888, [[Captain Swift|filmed in 1920]], directed by [[Tom Terriss]] and [[Chester Bennett (director)|Chester Bennett]]<ref>{{Cite book| publisher = S. French, ltd.| last = Charles Haddon Chambers| title = Captain Swift: A Comedy Drama in Four Acts| accessdate = 2023-10-17| date = 1902| url = http://archive.org/details/captainswiftaco00chamgoog}}</ref>
* [https://archive.org/details/idleraplayinfou00chamgoog ''The Idler''] 1890 (play)<ref name = Idler>{{cite web|title= ''The Idler : A Play in Four Acts'' |publisher= Austlit|url= https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C398955|accessdate= 28 June 2023}}</ref>
* ''Thumb-Nail Sketches of Australian Life'' 1891 (short story collection)<ref name = TN>{{cite web|title= ''Thumb-Nail Sketches of Australian Life'' |publisher= Austlit|url= https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C381166|accessdate= 28 June 2023}}</ref>
* ''The Fatal Card'' 1895 (play)<ref name = FatalCard>{{cite web|title= ''The Fatal Card'' |publisher= Austlit|url= https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C395849|accessdate= 28 June 2023}}</ref>
*[http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/42068 ''The Tyranny of Tears: A Comedy in Four Acts''] 1900 (play)<ref name = Tyranny>{{cite web|title= ''The Tyranny of Tears'' |publisher= Austlit|url= https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C398917|accessdate= 28 June 2023}}</ref>
* ''[[A Modern Magdalen]]'' 1902 (play)<ref name = Magdalen>{{cite web|title= ''A Modern Magdalen'' |publisher= Austlit|url= https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/6434480|accessdate= 28 June 2023}}</ref>
* ''The Open Gate: An Original Domestic Drama in One Act'' 1902 (play)<ref name = OpenGate>{{cite web|title= ''The Open Gate'' |publisher= Austlit|url= https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C381162|accessdate= 28 June 2023}}</ref>
* ''The Awakening: A play in Four Acts'' 1902 (play)<ref name = Awakening>{{cite web|title= ''The Awakening'' |publisher= Austlit|url= https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C399063|accessdate= 28 June 2023}}</ref>
* ''Sir Anthony: A Comedy of the Outskirts in Three Acts'' 1909 (play)<ref name = SirAnthony>{{cite web|title= ''Sir Anthony'' |publisher= Austlit|url= https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C399067|accessdate= 28 June 2023}}</ref>
* ''Passers-By: A Play in Four Acts'' 1913 (play)<ref name = Passers-By>{{cite web|title= ''Passers-By'' |publisher= Austlit|url= https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C399065|accessdate= 28 June 2023}}</ref>
* ''The Impossible Woman'' 1914 (play) (aka ''Tante'')<ref name = ImpossibleWoman>{{cite web|title= ''The Impossible Woman'' |publisher= Austlit|url= https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/6434302|accessdate= 28 June 2023}}</ref>
* ''The Saving Grace: A Comedy in Three Acts'' 1918 (play)<ref name = SavingGrace>{{cite web|title= ''The Saving Grace'' |publisher= Austlit|url= https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C398918|accessdate= 28 June 2023}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Gutenberg author | id=41507| name=Charles Haddon Chambers}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Charles Haddon Chambers |sopt=t}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chambers, C. Haddon}}
[[Category:1860 births]]
[[Category:1921 deaths]]
[[Category:Australian dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:Australian people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:Colony of New South Wales people]]
[[Category:Emigrants from colonial Australia to the United Kingdom]]

C. Haddon Chambers - Revision history

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