Dion Boucicault (1820-1890) was an Irish playwright who wrote over 200 plays including The Shaughraun and London Assurance; his plays are considered to be the forerunners of modern social drama.
He was born Dionysius Lardner Boursiquot, in Dublin in 1820, the son of Anna Darley and a wine merchant Samuel Boursiquot who came from a Huguenot family. However, there is a theory that in reality Boucicault was Anna’s son by Dr Dionysius Lardner, the Irish science writer and lecturer.
Boucicault was famed for his skill in characterisation and timing as an actor, for being an inventive director and innovative theatre manager. He was instrumental in getting the first dramatic copyright law passed in 1856. He helped to establish the royalty system for playwrights. Boucicault died in New York in America in 1890.
Source http://www.Victorianweb.org https://www.britannica.com/place/New-York-Cityhttps://www.kent.ac.uk/library/specialcollections/theatre/boucicault/biography.html