Final answer:
The greatest actor of the Restoration who contributed to playwriting and theatrical innovation was Thomas Betterton, not David Garrick, Richard Burbage, or Oliver Cromwell.
Step-by-step explanation:
The greatest actor of the Restoration was Thomas Betterton, who also wrote plays and made innovative changes to lighting. Although David Garrick was a renowned actor and playwright, his career flourished during the 18th century, well after the Restoration period.
Similarly, Richard Burbage was a significant figure in English theatre, known for his association with Shakespeare's plays during the Elizabethan era, but he died in 1619, before the Restoration. Oliver Cromwell was a political figure who ruled England as Lord Protector, and his regime actually closed theatres starting in 1642 and lasting until the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660.
The Restoration period in theatre introduced significant changes following a lengthy closure of theatres. With the return of Charles II to the throne in 1660, the landscape of English theatre experienced a renaissance with influences from the Italianate staging and an appetite for elaborate scenery and detailed staging, as well as the introduction of women on the English stage. It was a time of creative renewal following the stern years under Cromwell's Puritanical rule, which had suppressed all theater as frivolous and immoral.