Quintus Roscius

A celebrated Roman actor and orator of the 1st century BC.

Chronology: -126 – -62

Origins & Early Life

Quintus Roscius (c. 126 BC – 62 BC) was a highly renowned Roman actor during the 1st century BC. He was known for the immense quality of his acting, especially in comedy, which earnt him a large fortune. Promoted to the equestrian order by the dictator Sulla in the late 80s BC, he avoided infamia – the status of reduced civil rights in Roman law for performing on stage for pay – by performing without pay.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

A friend and mentor of Cicero in Cicero's youth, Roscius also trained other actors, mentored people in oratory and rhetoric, and wrote treatises on performance. Cicero, for his part, supported Roscius and his family when they came under suit; two speeches from two trials – Pro Quinctio and Pro Q. Roscio Comoedo – survive from this advocacy work. == Life == Roscius was born in Lanuvium, about 3 miles (4.8 km) from Rome. The cognomen Gallus is dubious, as it appears only once as a scholia (manuscript comment) by the Bobbio Scholiast (who lived over half a millennium after Roscius's lifetime) in a manuscript of Cicero's Pro Archia.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

While some sources have described Roscius as having been a slave due to the reputed cognomen Gallus leading some authors to conclude he was a freedman, this...

Source: Wikipedia