Philip Henslowe is a character based on theatre owner Philip Henslowe.Born in Lindfield, Sussex circa 1550, he was in London by the 1570s, and developed extensive business interests, including money lending. Indeed, according to contemporary accounts, he was more like Hugh Fennyman (who did not exist), the ruthless loan shark he is in debt to in Shakespeare in Love than the bumbling, trodden-upon would-be impresario he is depicted as. Oddly, he was cruel to his poor tenants who lived in his properties, yet would lend to his more-prosperous tenants.In partnership with Ned Alleyn (who married Henslowe's step-daughter in 1592), he ran The Rose, which he built in 1587. They also operated the Paris Garden, a venue for animal baitings. His diary, in which he recorded payments to dramatists, box office takes, and debtors, does not mention William Shakespeare, but it does mention the title of a Shakespeare play, Troilus and Cressida, which he bought from dramatists Thomas Dekker and Henry Chettle. Henslowe died on 6 January 1616. Show less «