Sociétaires of the Comédie-Française
Encyclopedia
The sociétaires of the Comédie-Française
are chosen from among the pensionnaires who have been in the company a year or more.
They are decided upon in the course of a general assembly of the company's administrative committee, made up of 6 existing sociétaires, the senior sociétaire, and the general administrator. A pensionnaire is thus named a societaire by a decree of the Ministry of Culture, from names put forward by the general administrator
of the Comédie-Française. On becoming a sociétaire, an actor automatically becomes a member of the Société des Comédiens-Français and receives a share of the profits as well as receiving a number of shares in the société to which he or she is contractually linked.
After his or her retirement, a sociétaire can continue to act, becoming an honorary sociétaire. The senior member of the Comédie-Française is not the oldest sociétaire, but the sociétaire who has been with the company longest (since their entering it as a pensionnaire).
Comédie-Française
The Comédie-Française or Théâtre-Français is one of the few state theaters in France. It is the only state theater to have its own troupe of actors. It is located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris....
are chosen from among the pensionnaires who have been in the company a year or more.
They are decided upon in the course of a general assembly of the company's administrative committee, made up of 6 existing sociétaires, the senior sociétaire, and the general administrator. A pensionnaire is thus named a societaire by a decree of the Ministry of Culture, from names put forward by the general administrator
Administrators of the Comédie-Française
The following is a list of the administrators of the Comédie-Française, from 1799, date of the merger between the Théâtre de la Nation and the Théâtre de la République.-Source:...
of the Comédie-Française. On becoming a sociétaire, an actor automatically becomes a member of the Société des Comédiens-Français and receives a share of the profits as well as receiving a number of shares in the société to which he or she is contractually linked.
After his or her retirement, a sociétaire can continue to act, becoming an honorary sociétaire. The senior member of the Comédie-Française is not the oldest sociétaire, but the sociétaire who has been with the company longest (since their entering it as a pensionnaire).
17th century
- Michel BaronMichel BaronMichel Baron was a French actor and playwright. His family name was originally Boyron. His father and mother were leading players. He was born in Paris. He was orphaned at age 9, and joined the child company Petits Comédiens Dauphins at age 12, becoming its brightest star...
(1680) - Armande BéjartArmande BéjartArmande-Grésinde-Claire-Élisabeth Béjart , was a French actress, one of the most famous French stage actors of the 17th-century. She belonged to the Béjart family, a famous theatre family in 17th-century France, and daughter of Madeleine Béjart. She was married to Molière in 1662...
(1680) - Mademoiselle de Brie (1680)
- Champmeslé (1680)
- Marie ChampmesléMarie ChampmesléMarie Champmeslé was a French actress.She was born in Rouen of a wealthy family; her father's name was Desmares. She made her first appearance on the stage at Rouen with Charles Chevillet Champmeslé , who called himself sieur de Champmeslé, and they were married in 1666...
(1680) - Mademoiselle Du Croisy (1680)
- Mademoiselle La Grange (1680)
- Raymond Poisson, known as Belleroche (1680)
- Brécourt (1682)
- DancourtFlorent Carton DancourtFlorent Carton aka Dancourt , French dramatist and actor, was born at Fontainebleau. He belonged to a family of rank, and his parents entrusted his education to Pere de la Rue, a Jesuit, who made earnest efforts to induce him to join the order...
(1685) - Jean Quinault (1695)
18th century
- Adrienne LecouvreurAdrienne LecouvreurAdrienne Lecouvreur was a French actress.Born in Damery, she first appeared professionally on the stage in Lille...
(1717) - Jeanne Gaussin (1731)
- Mademoiselle ClaironLa ClaironLa Clairon , French actress, whose real name was Clair Josèphe Hippolyte Leris, was born at Condé-sur-l'Escaut, Hainaut, the daughter of an army sergeant....
(1743) - Marie Brillant (1750)
- LekainLekainLekain was the stage name of Henri Louis Cain , a French actor.He was born in Paris, the son of a silversmith. He was educated at the Collège Mazarin, and joined an amateur company of players against which the Comédie-Française obtained an injunction...
(1751) - Mademoiselle Hus (1753)
- PrévillePrévillePréville is a neighborhood in Saint-Lambert, Quebec and a former city. Formed from part of the Ville Jacques-Cartier's territory on March 11, 1948, Préville merged into the city of Saint-Lambert in 1969....
(1753) - Dalainville (1758)
- François Molé (1761)
- Dugazon (1772)
- Monvel (1772)
- DazincourtDazincourtJoseph-Jean-Baptiste Albouy , stage name Dazincourt, was a French actor.-Life:Educated by the Oratorians, Dazincourt entered the service of the maréchal de Richelieu in 1766 and had a taste of acting in comedies of manners...
(1778) - TalmaFrançois-Joseph TalmaFrançois Joseph Talma was a French actor.He was born in Paris. His father, a dentist, moved to London, gave him a good English education. He returned to Paris, where for a year and a half he practised dentistry...
(1789) - Madame DesgarcinsMagdeleine-Marie DesgarcinsMagdeleine-Marie Desgarcins was a French actress. Her stage name was Louise Desgarcins or Madame Desgarcins....
(1789) - Mademoiselle FleuryMademoiselle FleuryMarie-Anne-Florence Bernardy-Nones , known as Mademoiselle Fleury , was a Belgian actress...
(1791) - GrandmesnilGrandmesnil (actor)Jean-Baptiste Fauchard , stage name Grandmesnil or Grand-Ménil), was a French actor and playwright.-Life:...
(1792) - Mademoiselle Lange (1793)
- Mademoiselle MarsMademoiselle MarsMademoiselle Mars, , French actress, was born in Paris, the natural daughter of the actor-author named Monvel and Jeanne-Marie Salvetat , an actress known as Madame Mars, whose southern accent had made her Paris debut a failure.Mlle Mars began her stage career...
(1799)
19th century
- Mademoiselle GeorgeMarguerite GeorgesMarguerite Georges was a French stage actor. She belonged to the most famous French actors of her time. She is also known for her affair with Napoleon.- Biography :...
(1804) - Rachel (1842)
- Coquelin aînéBenoît-Constant CoquelinBenoît-Constant Coquelin , known as Coquelin aîné, was a French actor, "one of the greatest theatrical figures of the age."-Biography:Coquelin was born in Boulogne-sur-Mer, Pas-de-Calais...
(1864) - Mounet-Sully (1874)
- Sarah BernhardtSarah BernhardtSarah Bernhardt was a French stage and early film actress, and has been referred to as "the most famous actress the world has ever known". Bernhardt made her fame on the stages of France in the 1870s, and was soon in demand in Europe and the Americas...
(1875) - Marthe Brandès (1896)
20th century
- Cécile Sorel (1904)
- Gabrielle Colonna-RomanoGabrielle Colonna-RomanoGabrielle Colonna-Romano or Colanna Romano , born Gabrielle Dreyfus, was a French actress, famous as a tragedian, sociétaire of the Comédie-Française from 1913 to 1936, and as a student of Sarah Bernhardt. She appeared in several plays and poetry readings...
(1913) - Pierre FresnayPierre FresnayPierre Fresnay was a French stage and film actor.Born Pierre Jules Louis Laudenbach in Paris, France in 1897, he was encouraged by his uncle, the actor Claude Garry, to pursue a career in theater and film...
(1924) - Madeleine RenaudMadeleine RenaudMadeleine Renaud was a distinguished actress and a major figure in French theater in the 20th century. She was born Lucie Madeleine Renaud in Paris and died there, aged 94, in 1994....
(1928) - Marie BellMarie BellMarie Bell , born Marie-Jeanne Bellon, was a French tragedian, comic actor and stage director. She was the director of the Théâtre du Gymnase in Paris from 1962 onwards, and this theatre now bears her name....
(1928) - Mary Marquet (1923)
- Fernand LedouxFernand LedouxFernand Ledoux was a French film and theatre actor of Belgian origin. He studied with Raphaël Duflos at the CNSAD, and began his career with small roles at the Comédie-Française...
(1931) - Pierre DuxPierre DuxPierre Dux was a French actor. He appeared in 50 films between 1932 and 1990.-Selected filmography:* The Reader * Section spéciale * Z * Is Paris Burning?...
(1935) - Gisèle Casadesus (1938)
- Louis SeignerLouis Seigner-Selected filmography:- External links :...
(1943) - Jean-Louis BarraultJean-Louis BarraultJean-Louis Barrault was a French actor, director and mime artist, training that served him well when he portrayed the 19th-century mime Jean-Gaspard Deburau in Marcel Carné's 1945 film Les Enfants du Paradis .Jean-Louis Barrault studied with Charles Dullin in whose troupe he acted...
(1943) - RaimuRaimuRaimu was the stage name for the French actor Jules Auguste Muraire .-Biography:Born in Toulon in the Var département, he made his stage debut there in 1899. After coming to the attention of the then great music hall star Félix Mayol who was also from Toulon, in 1908 he was given a chance to work...
(1944)
- Jacques CharonJacques CharonJacques Charon was a French actor and film director.Born in Paris, Charon trained at the Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique and made his début at the Comédie-Française in 1941...
(1947) - Micheline Boudet (1950)
- Jean DavyJean Davy-Career:He was a Sociétaire of the Comédie-Française.He was a French voice of Charlton Heston -Filmography:*L'équipage *Mayerling...
(1950) - Robert HirschRobert Hirsch (actor)Robert Paul Hirsch is a French actor. He has been a sociétaire of the Comédie-Française since 1952. In 1990 he won César Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his role in Hiver 54, l'abbé Pierre...
(1952) - Jean PiatJean PiatJean Piat is a French actor and writer.-Life:Piat was born in Lannoy, Nord. He enlisted in the Comédie-Française on 1 September 1947, and became a member on 1 January 1953. He left the Comédie-Française on 31 December 1972, and became an honorary member the following day...
(1953) - Paul MeurissePaul MeurissePaul Meurisse was a French actor who appeared in over 60 films and many stage productions. Meurisse was noted for the elegance of his acting style, and for his versatility. He was equally able to play comedic and serious dramatic roles...
(1956) - Denise Gence (1958)
- Georges DescrièresGeorges DescrièresGeorges Descrières is a French actor. He has appeared in 52 films and television shows between 1954 and 1996. He starred alongside Anna Karina in the 1962 film Sun in Your Eyes and portrayed the gentleman-burglar Arsène Lupin in an internationally successful TV series.-Selected filmography:* The...
(1958) - Jacques Sereys (1959)
- Jean-Paul RoussillonJean-Paul RoussillonJean-Paul Roussillon was a French actor. He appeared in 87 films and television shows between 1954 and 2008. He starred in the film Playing 'In the Company of Men, which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival...
(1960) - François Chaumette (1960)
- Bernard Dhéran (1961)
- Catherine SamieCatherine SamieCatherine Samie is French actress and member of Comédie-Française from 1962. On July 14, 2011, she became Grand Officier of the Legion of Honor...
(1962)
- Vicky Ruane (1964)
- Michel Aumont (1965)
- René Camoin (1966)
- Michel DuchaussoyMichel DuchaussoyMichel Duchaussoy is a French film actor. He has appeared in 130 films since 1962.-Selected filmography:* The Killing Game * The Unfaithful Wife * This Man Must Die * Just Before Nightfall...
(1967) - Françoise SeignerFrançoise SeignerFrançoise Seigner was a French actress. She is best known for her theatre work, but also acted in a few movies, such as The Wild Child and the 2005 adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel By The Pricking Of My Thumbs...
(1968) - Paule Noëlle (1969)
- Isabelle AdjaniIsabelle AdjaniIsabelle Yasmine Adjani is a French film actress and singer. Adjani has appeared in 30 films since 1970. She holds the record for most César Awards for Best Actress with five, for Possession , One Deadly Summer , Camille Claudel , Queen Margot and Skirt Day...
(1972) - Jean-Luc Boutté (1975)
- Catherine Hiegel (1976)
- Francis HusterFrancis HusterFrancis Huster is a French stage, film and television actor, film director and scriptwriter.-Biography:Francis Huster was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine. He studied acting at the Conservatoire of the 17th arrondissement of Paris, at the Cours Florent and at the Conservatoire national , where he had...
(1977) - Patrice Kerbrat (1977)
- Jean Le Poulain (1981)
- Michel Favory (1988)
- Catherine Sauval (1989)
- Jean-Luc BideauJean-Luc BideauJean-Luc Bideau is a Swiss film actor. He has appeared in over 125 films since 1965.-Selected filmography:* Les Bons Vivants * Mr...
(1991) - Philippe TorretonPhilippe TorretonPhilippe Torreton is a French actor.-Biography:Born in Rouen, to a teacher mother, and fireman father, Torreton grew up in a suburb of the city...
(1994) - Andrzej SewerynAndrzej SewerynAndrzej Seweryn is a Polish and French actor and director. One of the most successful Polish theatre actors, he starred in over 50 films, mostly in Poland, France and Germany. He is also one of only three non-French actors to be hired by the Paris-based Comédie-Française.- Biography :Andrzej...
(1995) - Michel RobinMichel RobinMichel Robin is a French film actor and comedian. He has appeared in 120 films since 1966.-Selected filmography:* The Invitation * Les Guichets du Louvre * L'important c'est d'aimer...
(1996) - Éric Ruf (1998)
- Éric Génovèse (1998)
- Bruno Raffaeli (1998)
- Denis PodalydèsDenis PodalydèsDenis Podalydès is a French actor, director and scriptwriter of Greek descent. He is a Sociétaire of the Comédie-Française....
(2000) - Coraly Zahonero (2000)
- Florence Viala (2000)
21st century
- Françoise Gillard (2002)
- Alexandre Pavloff (2002)
- Clotilde de Bayser (2004)
- Laurent StockerLaurent StockerLaurent Stocker, born 27 May 1973 in Saint-Dizier , is a French theatre and cinema actor, a sociétaire of the Comédie-Française.- Biography :...
(2004) - Guillaume GallienneGuillaume GallienneGuillaume Gallienne is French actor who has been a member of the Comédie-Française company from 1998. He made his film debut 1992 in Tableau d'honneur and he has starred in Marie Antoinette by Sofia Coppola....
(2005) - Elsa Lepoivre (2007)
- Laurent Natrella (2007)
- Michel Vuillermoz (2007)