He was the son of the actor
Thomas Hallam, a member of the
Drury Lane killed by fellow actor
Charles Macklin after a dispute. In 1731 he married the actress
Anne Berriman. He became manager of the New Wells Theatre in
Goodman's Fields,
London. In his competition with
David Garrick, who managed
Drury Lane Theatre, he became bankrupt in 1750, and in the same year organized a dramatic company that was sent, under the direction of his brother
Lewis, to the
North American colonies and the
British West Indies. The company was called the "Company of Comedians from London" and had 12 actors in the troupe. Before the actors sailed, they studied 24 plays, besides farces and medleys, which in suitable weather were rehearsed aboard ship. They also took with them costumes and scenery. William Hallam sailed for the North American colonies, landing in
Yorktown, Virginia, on June 2, 1752. He remained with the comedians about one year, but did not perform. Disposing of his half interest to his brother Lewis, he returned to England in 1755, where he soon afterward died. ==Notes==