Will Kemp

William Kempe (died 1603?), also spelled Kemp, was an English actor and dancer best known for being one of the original actors in William Shakespeare's plays. Of his early life, nothing is known. After his rise to fame as part of Lord Chamberlain's Men, Kempe returned to solo work in 1599. In 1600, he undertook what he would later call his "Nine Days Wonder", in which he morris danced from London to Norwich (a distance of over a hundred miles) in a journey which took him nine days spread over several weeks, often amid cheering crowds.

The circumstances of Kempe's death are unclear. Several mentions are made him until 1602, and the death of man named Kempe is recorded in 1603.

Will Kemp in "We Haven't Got There Yet"
While watching Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead in 1606, William Shakespeare reflected that Will Kempe would have appreciated the buffoonry of the pirate attack. Kempe had fallen in the world, was at that point "nothing".

Will Kemp in Ruled Britannia
Will Kemp was a full member of the acting troupe Lord Westmorland's Men (later The Queen's Men). Kemp played the comic roles in most of William Shakespeare's plays. He was the gravedigger in Prince of Denmark and played a Roman soldier named Marcus in Boudicca. Following the 1598 debut of Boudicca, Kemp took part in the popular uprising against Spanish forces which stormed the Tower of London and liberated Queen Elizabeth.

He was generally an agreeable character and was counted as a friend by Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, and Lope de Vega. However, he periodically quarrelled with Richard Burbage.