Edward Alleyn (/ˈælɪn/; 1 September 1566 – 21 November 1626) was an English actor who was a major figure of the Elizabethan theatre and founder of the College of God's Gift in Dulwich.

[5] He was rated by common consent as the foremost actor of his time;[6] his only close rival was Richard Burbage.

[8] Other works, some now lost, are thought to have had Alleyn in leading roles, including plays by George Peele such as The Battle of Alcazar.

[2] Alleyn retired at the height of his fame around 1598, and it is said that Queen Elizabeth requested his return to the stage, which he did in 1604, the year after her death.

[12] Thomas Nashe expressed in Pierce Penniless (1593) his admiration for him, in a quartet of English actors including also John Bentley, William Knell and the clown Richard Tarlton;[2] while Thomas Heywood calls him "inimitable", "the best of actors," "Proteus for shapes and Roscius for a tongue."

Thomas Fuller in his Worthies later wrote of Alleyn's reputation of "so acting to the life that he made any part to become him".

[6] Although Alleyn had obtained a good amount of his fortune due to his marriage, he also made much of it from his acting career and owned a large estate in Sussex.

He was part-owner in Henslowe's ventures, and in the end sole proprietor of several profitable playhouses, bear-pits and other rental properties.

On some occasions he directed the sport in person, and John Stow in his Chronicles gives an account of how Alleyn baited a lion before James I at the Tower of London.

Delays occurred in the Star Chamber, where Lord Chancellor Bacon brought pressure to bear on Alleyn, with the aim of securing a portion of the proposed endowment for the maintenance of lectureships at Oxford and Cambridge.

[15] Alleyn finally carried his point and the College of God's Gift at Dulwich was founded, and endowed under letters patent of James I, dated 21 June 1619.

[6] It is said that Dulwich was built as a gesture of thanksgiving to God for Alleyn's acting ability and success in business dealings.

At the time of its founding, Alleyn was not a member of his own foundation, but guided and controlled its affairs under powers reserved for himself in the letters patent.

[6] He was buried on 25 November, in the church floor but his memorial stone was moved from the interior to exterior in 1925 to prevent further wear.

[citation needed] There is a memorial window to him in the cathedral, which in his time was the parish church for both the borough and the Clink Liberty in which most of his business activities were based.