J.H. Benrimo

Joseph Henry McAlpin Benrimo, often referred to as just Benrimo or as J. Harry Benrimo, (June 21, 1870 – March 26, 1942) was an American actor, playwright, director, Williams College scholar and professor of music. W. Anthony Sheppard stated that Benrimo was a "central and versatile figure in Orientalist theater." With George Cochrane Hazelton he co-authored the landmark orientalist drama The Yellow Jacket (1912), and with Harrison Rhodes he co-authored the play The Willow Tree (1917), based on a Japanese legend. The latter drama was made into a novel in 1918, a film in 1920, and the operetta Cherry Blossoms (1927). Benrimo began his career as a stage actor in California in 1892, working pre…