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John Martin Harvey made his first stage appearance at the Court Theatre in 1881 and joined Henry Irving's company at the Lyceum Theatre the following year. He spent fourteen years with Irving, accompanying him on several British and four American tours. He left Irving in 1896 and three years later inaugurated his own management of the Lyceum with The Only Way after Irving was forced to release his tenure. Martin Harvey's portrayal of Sydney Carton, the central figure who turns from a cynical drunkard to a heroic figure, assured his status as a star and one of Britain's last great romantic actors. He was associated with the role for the rest of his life, and after his knighthood in 1921 became known as Sir John Martin-Harvey, introducing the double-barrelled surname.