[2] However, George Earlie Shankle records in his 1955 book on American nicknames that Aldrich was born at sea while his mother was sailing from Germany to the United States.

He went on tour as a child actor playing Richard III, Macbeth, and Shylock, Claude Melnotte, Young Norval and other heroes of the classic drama before 1857, being billed under various titles, such as "The Ohio Roscius" and "The Boy Prodigy."

He became a member of the stock company at the Boston Theatre in March 1866, opening as Nathan to the Leah of Ellen Bateman.

[1] In the season of 1892–93, he played General Colgate in Augustus Thomas's war drama Surrender, under the management of Charles Frohman, the cast including Rose Eytinge, Maude Banks, W. H. Crompton, Burr Mcintosh, and Harry Woodruff.

Though Louis Aldrich was in the fullest and freest sense of the term a legitimate actor, there is no denying that he was also an inveterate "guyer," and he could "guy" so artistically, with so serious a face and so dignified a port, with so much poise and self-possession, that while those in the scene with him would be convulsed with laughter, and would have much ado to hold themselves together, the audience would never for a moment suspect him.

On this particular night, when the comedy man came up for examination, Mr. Aldrich straightened himself up, looked at the witness with severe, judicial dignity, and in a deep, portentous voice went on to say: "I know what you are about to tell me, sir.