Harriet Constance Smithson (18 March 1800 – 3 March 1854), most commonly known as Harriet Smithson, who also went by Henrietta Constance Smithson, Harriet Smithson Berlioz, and Miss H.C. Smithson, was an Anglo-Irish Shakespearean actress of the 19th century, best known as the first wife and muse of Hector Berlioz. Early life Harriet Smithson was born on 18 March 1800, at Ennis, County Clare, Ireland. Her father, William Joseph Smithson, was an actor and theatrical manager from Gloucestershire, England, and her mother was an actress whose full name is unknown. She also had a brother, Joseph Smithson, and a sister, name also unknown. In October 1801, Harriet was left in the care of Reverend James Barrett, a priest of the Church of Ireland, parish of Drumcliffe. Barrett became her guardian and brought her up as though she were his own daughter. He instructed her "in the precepts of religion," and kept everything connected with the stage from her view. After Barrett's death on 16 February 1808, the Smithsons sent Harriet to a boarding school in Waterford. Acting career Irish beginning On 27 May 1814, Smithson made her first stage appearance at the Theatre Royal (Dublin), as Albina Mandevill in Frederick Reynolds's The Will. Her performance was well received, and the Freeman's Journal gave her a positive review. She certainly is a most interesting and promising young actress, and there is no doubt she would prove a great acquisition to Crow-street, in the line of performance which her taste, as well as her talents, incline her to pursue. In 1815, Smithson took her parents' place in Montague Talbot's company in Belfast after they returned to Dublin. The season opened on 1 January 1816, where she extended her range in roles, performing in multiple comedies. She then travelled to Newry, Limerick, Dublin, and Burmingham, where she joined Robert Elliston's company. She spent the next two months playing over forty roles in various genres. Debut in London Four years later, 20 January 1818, Smithson made her first London appearance at Drury Lane as Letitia Hardy in The Belle's Stratagem. Her first performance received mixed reviews from critics, but she quickly gained some favour of critics and performers as she obtained more experience. She joined the permanent company at the Royal Coburg later that year. However, she rejoined Drury Lane Company in the autumn of 1820. On 20 February 1821, she took the lead