Some of Johnson's satirical plays were popular but ridiculed (e.g. by Fielding). In addition to being a playwright, he acted in his plays and was highly regarded in Cheshire as a wit, comedian, and dancing-master. He was best known for his performance of Lord Flame, which persisted as his nickname. The DNB says he may be the SJ who was imprisoned for debt in the Fleet prison in 1728. Much of his life esp. early on remains unknown.