St Leonard's, Shoreditch

St Leonard's Church is widely known as the Actors Church because of its deep connections to the Elizabethan theater district that once thrived here. Because the area sat just outside the legal jurisdiction of the City of London, it became a sanctuary for institutions that were often banned or restricted elsewhere, including England's first permanent playhouses. Famous figures from this golden age of drama, such as the theater pioneer James Burbage and his actor son Richard, are buried in the crypt beneath the floorboards. Richard Burbage holds the distinction of being the first performer to play iconic Shakespearean leads like Hamlet, Othello, and Romeo.