Louis Béjart

See also: Béjart

Louis Béjart was an actor French, born with Paris in November 1630, and deceased in this same city the October 13rd 1678. It belonged to the Famille Béjart, celebrates family of actors of the 17th century.

Biography

One knows the approximate date of his birth, because he was baptized on December 4th, 1630 at the three weeks age. He was too young to have taken part in the constitution of the Illustre Theater on June 30th, 1643, and he seems to have integrated the troop only into the neighborhoods of his 20 years. Small roles first of all were entrusted to him. At 23 years, for Thoughtless the , it created the character of an old man, Anselme, the father of Hippolyte. That was going to be its principal employment with the theater with that of servant.

To distinguish it from other Béjart, it was usually called Éguisé , but one also indicated it by Béjart junior (register of Lagrange) and Béjart the young person (distribution of Miserly the ). Malevolent criticisms and lampoons qualified it also the lame one, and even of one-eyed. One is not sure that first infirmity, since in Miserly the , Harpagon drives out it while saying to him: “I do not like myself to see this dog of lame-there” (Act I scene IV). It was lame, not of birth, but by accident. It is said that it accepted a blow of sword to the leg while wanting to separate two friends who fought. More prosaically, it is possible that it accepted this blow of sword of a dissatisfied servant, according to an act of police force of 1661.

He played in the troop of Molière until 1670. Charmed to disguise itself (from where Éguisé?), it affectionnait the roles of grime (ridiculous old man), and played even the duennas. Á this time, indeed, the old women were usually interpreted by men. Louis Béjart thus took to the role of Mrs Pernelle in the Sanctimonious hypocrite.

In March 1670, it was then 40 years old, it took its retirement of the troop, while becoming the first pensioned actor. A pension of 1000 pounds was granted to him. With the 400 pounds which his/her sister Madeleine gave him, it could live in an honest ease.

What was the weather then its time? In 1672, on the marriage contract of his sister Genevieve, it was entitled “engineer of the king”, and with its death, on October 13rd, 1678, at 48 years, it was known as “officer with the regiment of Ferté”. Its funerals took place with the Église Saint-Sulpice.

Some of its roles

Sources

  • Henry Lyonnet, Dictionary of the French actors , Library of the Illustrated International Universal review, Paris and Geneva, 1902-1908
  • Pierre Larousse Large Universal Dictionary of the 19th century

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