1844 - 1921

He had his first successes between 1865 an d1875 at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London where he belonged to the company of Squire Bancroft. He especially conquered the favour of the audience as a comedian, among others with Sam Gerridge's play "Castle" (1867).
In 1875 he took over the management of the Court Theatre where he performed among others the play "The Vicar of Wakefield" (1877). Two years later he took over the management of the St. James's Theatre together with W.H. Kendal and his wife Madge Robertson. They changed the theatre into an elegant house which soon became famous for demanding dramas. The trio managed lead the  theatre from success to success in the next nine years.

In 1888 Hare and the Kendal's went their own way. Mr. and Mrs.Kendal went on tour in the USA and John Hare joined theRoyal Court theatre for a brief time before he took over the Garrick theatre in 1889, an activity he carried on till 1895.
there he created probably his most famous role with Benjamin Goldfinch in the play "A Pair of Spectacles" (1890).

When he gave up the management in 1895 he concentrated exclusive to the acting. In that time he already belonged to the most important theater authority.

John Hare was knighted in 1907 for his merit for the theater, five years later he retired from the stage for good. But with that his career didn't come to an end.
In 1916 he made his film debut with "The Vicar of Wakefield" (16) and "A Pair of Spectacles" (16), it followed the silent movies "Castle" (17) and "Masks and Faces" (18).