Nicolas Desmares (Rouen, 1650 – Paris, 3 November 1714) was a French comedian.[1]
A brother-in-law of Champmeslé, he also called himself "Champmeslé" and with his sister Marie Champmeslé, they joined the theatre of Rouen. His talent earned him a call to perform at the court of King Christian V of Denmark. Recalled to Paris by his sister, he was received 28 March 1685 "sans début" (without a period of trial) – an honour bestowed for the first time – at the Comédie-Française where he specialized in peasant roles,[2] which he played in a superior and inimitable way. He retired with a pension of 1000 livres on 27 June 1712.
He married the actress Anne d'Ennebaut, granddaughter of Montfleury, who gave him two daughters, both later actresses and sociétaires of the Comédie-Française: Charlotte Desmares and Christine Dangeville.[3]
References edit
- ^ Forman, Edward (27 April 2010). Historical Dictionary of French Theater. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810874510. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
- ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 831.
- ^ Lancaster 1966, ch. 10, p. 544.
Further reading edit
- Hartnoll, Phyllis, ed. (1983). The Oxford Companion to the Theatre (4th ed.). Oxford et al.: Oxford University Press. p. 216. ISBN 0-19-211546-4 – via the Internet Archive.
- Lancaster, Henry Carrington (1966). History of French Dramatic Literature in the Seventeenth Century. Pt. IV: The Period of Racine, 1673–1700. Vol. 2. New York: Gordian Press. OCLC 1149373442 – via the Internet Archive.
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