wyn, Nell (1650-87), English actor,
and mistress of Charles II. Gwyn (also spelled Gwynn) was born
Eleanor Gwyn either in London or Hereford. As a child she sold
oranges outside the Drury Lane Theatre in London; she became an
actor at the age of 15. Her first known stage appearance was in The
Indian Emperor (1665) by the English dramatist John Dryden.
She was well suited to the vivacious feminine roles common in
Restoration comedies, and Dryden wrote several plays with roles
especially for her. She was the mistress of the king from about
1669 until his death in 1685. Although almost completely
illiterate, she was a favorite in London society, and the English
diarist Samuel Pepys described her as "pretty, witty Nell."
She bore the king two sons, Charles Beauclerk, duke of Saint
Albans, and James Beauclerk. [Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia]