In his 2020 book
Dead Famous: An Unexpected History Of Celebrity, British historian
Greg Jenner uses the definition: Although his book is subtitled "from Bronze Age to Silver Screen", and despite the fact that "Until very recently, sociologists argued that
celebrity was invented just over 100 years ago, in the flickering glimmer of early Hollywood" and the suggestion that some medieval saints might qualify, Jenner asserts that the earliest celebrities lived in the early 1700s, his first example being
Henry Sacheverell. Over time, the invention of more types of
mass media has broadened the ways in which people have become famous. and theater actors, from the
House of the Tragic Poet,
Pompeii, Italy.
Naples National Archeological Museum.
Athletes in
Ancient Greece were welcomed home as heroes, had songs and poems written in their honor, and received free food and gifts from those seeking
celebrity endorsement.
Ancient Rome similarly lauded actors and notorious gladiators, and
Julius Caesar appeared on a coin in his own lifetime (a departure from the usual depiction of battles and divine lineage). In the early 12th century,
Thomas Becket became famous following his murder, the first possible case of posthumous popularity. The Christian Church promoted him as a martyr, and images of him and scenes from his life became widespread in just a few years. In a pattern often repeated, what started as an explosion of popularity (often referred to with the suffix 'mania') turned into long-lasting fame: pilgrimages to Canterbury Cathedral, where he was killed, became instantly fashionable, and the fascination with his life and death inspired plays and films. 's public readings, where "people sometimes fainted at his shows", have been compared to those of a contemporary pop star. The cult of personality (particularly in the west) can be traced back to the Romantics in the 18th century, whose livelihood as artists and poets depended on the currency of their reputation.
Lord Byron became a celebrity in 1812 after the publication of the first two cantos of ''
Childe Harold's Pilgrimage''. "I awoke one morning and found myself famous," he said. According to McGann: "He rapidly became the most brilliant star in the dazzling world of
Regency London." Establishing cultural hot spots became important in generating fame, such as in London and Paris in the 18th and 19th centuries. Newspapers started including "gossip" columns, and certain clubs and events became places to be seen to receive publicity.
Madame Tussauds, a museum that displays waxworks of famous figures, was first established in
Baker Street, London in 1835, with
Punch in 1849 stating: "In these days, no one can be considered positively popular, unless he is admitted into the company of Madame Tussaud's celebrities in Baker Street".
David Lodge called
Charles Dickens the "first writer to feel the intense pressure of being simultaneously an artist and an object of unrelenting public interest and adulation", and Juliet John backed up the claim for Dickens "to be called the first self-made global media star of the age of mass culture." Theatrical actors were often considered celebrities. Restaurants near theaters, where actors would congregate, began putting up caricatures or photographs of actors on
celebrity walls in the late 19th century. The subject of widespread public and media interest,
Lillie Langtry, made her
West End theatre debut in 1881 causing a sensation in London by becoming the first
socialite to appear on stage. The following year she became the poster-girl for
Pears Soap, becoming the first celebrity to endorse a commercial product. In 1895, poet and playwright
Oscar Wilde became the subject of "one of the first celebrity trials". Another example of celebrities in the entertainment industry was in music, beginning in the mid-19th century. Never seen before in music, many people engaged in an immense fan frenzy called
Lisztomania that began in 1841. This created the basis for the behavior fans have around their favorite musicians in modern society. as
the Tramp in 1915. The
movie industry spread around the globe in the first half of the 20th century, creating the first film celebrities. The term celebrity was not always tied to actors in films however, especially when cinema was starting as a medium. As Paul McDonald states in ''The Star System: Hollywood's Production of Popular Identities'', "In the first decade of the twentieth century, American film production companies withheld the names of film performers, despite requests from audiences, fearing that public recognition would drive performers to demand higher salaries." Public fascination went well beyond the on-screen exploits of
movie stars, and their private lives became headline news: for example, in Hollywood the marriages of
Elizabeth Taylor and in
Bollywood the affairs of
Raj Kapoor in the 1950s. Like theatrical actors before them, movie actors were the subjects of
celebrity walls in restaurants they frequented, near movie studios, most notably at
Sardi's in Hollywood. which he later insisted was not a boast, and that he was not in any way comparing himself with Christ, gives an insight into both the adulation and notoriety that fame can bring. Unlike movies, television created celebrities who were not primarily actors; for example, presenters, talk show hosts, and newsreaders. However, most of these are only famous within the regions reached by their particular broadcaster, and only a few such as
Oprah Winfrey,
Jerry Springer, or
David Frost could be said to have broken through into wider stardom. Television also gave exposure to sportspeople, notably
Pelé after his emergence at the
1958 FIFA World Cup, with
Barney Ronay in
The Guardian stating, "What is certain is that Pelé invented this game, the idea of individual global sporting superstardom, and in a way that is unrepeatable now." In the '60s and early '70s, the book publishing industry began to persuade major celebrities to put their names on autobiographies and other titles in a genre called celebrity publishing. In most cases, the book was not written by the celebrity but by a
ghostwriter, but the celebrity would then be available for a book tour and appearances on talk shows. ==Wealth==