At age 13 he left his home and joined Oliver Carr's theatrical company at Fulham, where he played Altamont in the Fair Penitent, receiving three shillings as a share in the profits.

[1] His performance, for Shuter's benefit, of Mordecai in Love à la Mode commended him to Covent Garden, where, on 7 November 1767, he was the original Postboy in Colman's Oxonian in Town; on 14 December the First Ferret in the Royal Merchant, an operatic version of the Beggar's Bush; and on 29 January 1768 the original Postboy in Oliver Goldsmith's Good-natured Man.

At Covent Garden, with occasional visits to Liverpool, Portsmouth, and other towns, and to Bristol, where he was for a time manager of the King Street Theatre, Quick remained during most of his career.

He was seen as Peter in Romeo and Juliet, Simon Pure in A Bold Stroke for a Wife, Third Witch in Macbeth, Gripe in The Cheats of Scapin, the First Gravedigger in Hamlet, and many similar characters.

The following season (1773–4) saw him promoted to Mawworm in The Hypocrite, Grumio, Varland in the West Indian, and Autolycus Mufti in Don Sebastian.

At Bristol in August 1777 he was Antient Pistol in King Henry V and Tycho in A Christmas Tale[5] In 1777 Bell publisher of The British Theatre advertised the weekly publication of plays with no 71 Constant Couple; with an vignette of Mr Quick as Alderman Smugler.

[7] On 18 August 1783 he was Bishop Gardiner in King Henry the Eighth and Bowkitt in The Son in Law at the Theatre-Royal, Liverpool.

On 14 March 1791 Quick created the part of Cockletop, an antiquary, in O'Keeffe's Modern Antiques, and on 16 April that of Sir George Thunder in his Wild Oats.

[9][10] On 2 September he appears as Scrub in The Beaux' Stratagem with Animal Magnetism as the part of the Doctor at the New Theatre, Windsor.

In September 1795 Mr Quick of Covent Garden theatre is arrived at the Hotwells, from Weymouth, in consequence of a violent indisposition.

On 9 May 1799, for the benefit of Miss Leak, he appeared for the first time at Drury Lane, and played Hardy in the Belle's Stratagem, and Lovegold in the Miser.

[15] In February he was Mr Hardy in The Belle's Stratagem and Justice Credulous in St.Patrick's Day on the 12th, Crepe in The Busybody and Cadwalladea in The Author on the 13th.

Mr ROBERTSON with the Utmost respect begs to inform the city of Peterborough and its vicinity, that, ever anxious of contributing to their amusement, he shall (as announced last Saturday) have the pleasure of introducing, for Three Nights, that celebrated Comic Actor, Mr. QUICK, Of the late Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, Who will make his first Appearance FRIDAY AUGUST 11th, In the Comedy of THE WAY TO GET MARRIED.

[21] In April 1810 he again appeared on the Lincoln Circuit, at the Georgian Wisbech Theatre, on 9th as Toby Allspice in The Way to Get Married and as The Miser in the Farce of that name, on the 11th as Touchstone in As You Like It, and on 13th as Old Hardy in The Belle's Stratagem, finally on 14th as Sir Bashful Content in The Way to Keep Him.

[22][23] On 24 May 1813 he came again out of retirement, taking part at the Haymarket Opera House in a benefit to Mrs. Mattocks, in which he played Don Felix in The Wonder.