Ivo Blom recently acquired more than 20 postcards in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, published by the French journal Comoedia, located in Paris. The series offers a glimpse of many French actors and actresses of the 1910s and early 1920s in their dressing rooms. All these stage artists also appeared in films. Ivo wrote the accompanying short bios about the now forgotten actors. If you want to see more cards of this series, check out our earlier post on 'Nos artistes dans leur loge'.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 4. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Félix Mayol (1872-1941) was a popular French singer of the Belle Epoque. Born in Toulon, he made a modest debut on the stages of Toulon and Marseille. In 1895, he became a success in Paris in 1895 as a singer performing in a campy, effeminate way. An anecdote published in his memoirs reports that for lack of finding a camellia, that the elegant men wore at the time on the revers of their frock coat, he took a bit of lily of the valley which became his emblem. The improbable hair tassel he wore (and which gave him the nickname of 'the red-toupeed artist' or 'flame of punch') became so famous that it inspired many imitators. He knew his first great success in 1896 with 'La Paimpolaise' by Théodore Botrel. In 1900, after a brief stint at the Eldorado where he sang 'À la cabane bambou', he was engaged by La Scala. It was there that he created the title that would make him both rich and famous: 'Viens, poupoule!' (1902), an adaptation of a German song arranged by Henri Christiné and Alexandre Trébitsch. He recidivated in 1905 with 'La Matchiche', the adaptation of a fashionable Spanish dance song. The same year, he performed at Gaumont in 14 phonoscènes under the direction of Alice Guy, such as La Paimpolaise. These were short sound films using a sound on disc system. Several still exist. Already, Mayol had to his credit many recordings on cylinders and on discs. After the 1905 phonoscènes series at Gaumont, Mayol acted in five more films, according to IMDb. He appeared in three silent films, including Le filon du Bouif (Louis Osmont, 1922), and two early sound films, Aux urnes, citoyens!/Tu sera député (Jean Hémard, 1932) and La dame de chez Maxim's (Alexander Korda, 1933) starring Florelle.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 51. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Pierre Magnier (1869-1959) was a French stage and screen actor and director, acting in over 100 films and known for La roue (Abel Gance, 1923), Cyrano de Bergerac (Augusto Genina, 1923) and La règle du jeu (Jean Renoir, 1939).
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 82. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Tarquini d'Or (1882-1949) was a French stage and screen actor and operetta singer, who was an operetta singer in the 1920s and acted in 8 French early sound films. He was e.g. the singer in the French version of Der Kongress tanzt: Le congrès s'amuse (Jean Boyer, Erik Charell, 1931). Another memorable role he had in the Zola adaptation L'assommoir (Gaston Roudès, 1933). Tarquini d'Or (first name Brutus), was the son of famous cabaret singer Aristide Bruant and his companion singer Mathilde Tarquini d'Or. He was born in La Chaux de Fond, Switzerland, and died in Sens, France. For one of his songs, see www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTE57hnE-Ko
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 135. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Denis d'Inès (1885–1968) was a renowned stage actor, who also knew a career in cinema. Born in Paris as Joseph-Victor-Octave Denis, he started acting by 1905 in plays directed by André Antoine and remained with him for many years. He entered the Comédie-Française in 1914, was a sociétaire there from 1920 to 1953, General administrator ad intérim in 1945, dean from 1945 to 1953, and honorary sociétaire from 1954. In the silent era d'Inès played in a handful of shorts at the company Eclipse, mostly film d'art-like adaptations of Shakespeare plays. He also played in the 1914 exotic adventure film Le scarabée d'or (Henri Desfontaines, 1914), based on an Edgar Allen Poe story. After that Denis d'Inès only returned to the film sets from 1938 onwards. He played some 20 parts between 1938 and 1959, often as distinguished clergymen (cardinals, bishops, etc.) and generals. He was directed by Christian-Jaque in Boule de suif (Christian-Jaque, 1945), D'homme à hommes (Christian-Jaque, 1948), and Madame du Barry (Christian-Jaque, 1954). Other memorable parts he had in La tragédie impériale (Marcel L'Herbier, 1938) - his first sound film part, and Véronique (Robert Vernay, 1950).
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 142. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Jean Joffre aka Joffre, full name Jean François Omer Joffre, (1872-1944) was a French stage and screen actor. Born in Rivesaltes (Pyrénées-Orientales), Joffre started his stage career at least in 1905 and played at the Parisian Théâtre du Vaudeville till 1924. Between 1926 and 1929 he worked at the Théâtre de la Porte-Saint-Martin. Joffre started acting on-screen from 1911-1912 at Pathé Frères, with directors such as René Leprince and Ferdinand Zecca. In the late 1910s, he played in Fauvette (Gérard Bourgeois, 1918) and Le petit café (Raymond Bernard, 1919). In the 1920s. he had a rich career in the French silent cinema, including major parts in such films as La Rafale (Jacques de Baroncelli, 1920), Fromont jeune et Risler aîné (Henry Krauss, 1921), and Les Trois Mousquetaires (Henri Diamant-Berger, 1921) as M. Bonacieux. He was also unit manager for the latter film. However, Joffre's most active film acting career he had in the 1930s and early 1940s, in particular in 1938 when he acted in some 8 films, though all in minor parts. Memorable parts he had in Amants et voleurs (Raymond Bernard, 1935) starring Florelle and Pierre Blanchar, and as Dantès' father in Le comte de Monte Cristo, 1ère époque: Edmond Dantès (Robert Vernay, 1943) starring Pierre-Richard Willm. The latter was Joffre's last film role.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 147. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
André Brunot (1879-1973) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than twenty films from 1910 to 1966. Brunot was a student at the Conservatoire de Paris and won first prize there in 1903. He entered the Comédie-Française in 1903 and was sociétaire between 1910 and 1944. He became dean here between 1939 and 1944, and sociétaire honoraire in 1952. After leaving the Comédie-Française in 1944, he joined the Renaud-Barrault company for at least two decades and almost 30 plays, almost all directed by Jean-Louis Barrault. While Brunot had done a handful of silent shorts in the silent era, including the lead in the silent comedy L'affaire Blaireau (Louis Osmont, 1923), he came back to the film sets in 1934 with the Molière adaptation Les Précieuses ridicules (Léonce Perret, 1934). Four years after, his career really set off with his part of Monsieur Grenaison in Entrée des artistes (Marc Allégret, 1938), starring Louis Jouvet, and his most outstanding role as Jane Marken's husband, hotel patron Père Lecouvreur in Hôtel du Nord (Marcel Carné, 1938). From then, he played many supporting roles on the screen until 1959. Brunot's last film part was that of the priest in Jean Renoir's Le déjeuner sur l'herbe (1959).
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 156. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Amélie Diéterle (1871-1941) was one the most beloved actresses and singers of the Belle Epoque, who inspired poets and painters such as Mallarmé and Rodin. Between 1909 and 1913 she acted in 27 shorts films at Pathé Frères: mostly Rigadin comedies directed by Georges Monca.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 163. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Roger Monteaux (1879-1974) was a French stage and screen actor. Born in Boulogne-Billancourt, Monteaux first acted at the Théâtre du Vaudeville and the Théâtre Réjane, then in the 1910s at the Théâtre de l'Athénée and the Théâtre du Gymnase, before entering the Comédie-Française in 1915. Between 1923 and 1936 he was sociétaire there, alternating classic plays by Molière or after classic famous authors such as Balzac and Hugo, with modern plays by e.g. Henri Bataille. Between 1909 and 1911 Monteaux played at Pathé Frères in some 13 short silent films, mostly historical and modern dramas, directed by André Calmettes, Georges Monca, Henri Pouctal, and others. In the early 1920s, he acted in 5 silent features, such as Roger la Honte (Jacques de Baroncelli, 1922) and the Honoré de Balzac adaptation Le cousin Pons (Jacques Robert, 1924). It then took until 1937 for Monteaux to act in films again. Between 1937 and 1960 he played in some 20 films, mostly in minor parts, sometimes even uncredited. He had a major part as a stern father in Dominique (Yvan Noé, 1950) starring Michel Barbey as the title character. Dominique is chased from his parents' house when they discover he works in a cinema and lives with a girl, Simone (Claire Muriel). He hence lives with Simone, who receives funding from a mysterious stranger, who proves to be none other than Dominique's father. The latter explains he wanted to free his son from his mother and her bourgeois relatives. Roger Monteaux died at the high age of 95 years in Monaco in 1974.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 167. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Félix Oudart (1881–1956) was a French stage and film actor. Born in Lille, he followed acting classes there, then played his first roles at the Grand Théâtre de Reims, where he also directed, and in Paris, in particular at the Théâtre de l'Odéon and the Gaîté-Lyrique. With Louis Jouvet he participated in the creation of two plays by Jean Giraudoux: 'Intermezzo' (1933) and 'Ondine' (1939). He acted in film between 1919 and 1953. While he played in only a handful films in the silent era, e.g. in Crainquebille (Jacques Feyder, 1922) and Tire-au-flanc (Jean Renoir, 1928), he had an enormous output in the 1930s. These films included the sound remake of Tire-au-flanc (Henri Wulschleger, 1933). Among his last films were Au diable la vertu (Jean Laviron, 1952) and L'Île aux femmes nues (Henri Lepage, 1953).
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 181. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Frédéric Duvallès (1884-1971) was a popular French comedian who knew a rich career in French sound cinema of the 1930s and 1950s. Examples of his films are L'héritier du Bal Tabarin (Jean Kemm, 1933), Train de plaisir (Léo Joannon, 1936), and Vacances payées (Maurice Cammage, 1938), in which he had the lead. All in all, he acted in some 46 films.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 184. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Jules-Adolphe Simon aka Marcel Simon, born in Brussels in 1872 and died in Paris in 1958, was a Belgian actor and director. As a friend of George Feydeau, he contributed to the creation of many of his plays, such as 'Monsieur chasse!' (1892), 'La Dame de chez Maxim' (1899), 'La Puce à l'oreille' (1907), and 'Occupe-toi d'Amélie' (1908). From 1908 he acted in film, first in comedies (with Rigadin) and dramas directed by Georges Monca. Then he appeared at Éclair in dramas directed by Maurice Tourneur such as the murder mystery Le Mystère de la chambre jaune (1913) and its sequel Le Parfum de la dame en noir (1914), but also in Feydeau adaptations such as Occupe-toi d'Amélie (1912). While absent from the screen in the 1920s, Simon returned with the arrival of sound cinema. In the 1930s, he had a very prolific screen career, playing major supporting parts as aristocrats, directors, and high-ranked military. Among his last films was Boule de suif (Christian-Jaque, 1950). Simon was also film director between 1913 and 1921, mostly of comedies such as the Feydeau adaptation La Puce à l'oreille (1914) and a few with the character Germain. Simon was married to actress Marguerite Pierry.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 194. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Élisabeth Nizan (1896-1969) was a French stage actress. She only played in four films, but two were classics: La dixième symphonie (1918) and J'accuse (1919), both directed by Abel Gance. She entered the Comédie-Française in 1915 and between 1932 and 1936 she was sociétaire there.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 210. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Pierre Bertin (1891-1984) was a French stage and screen actor, director and scenographer. As of 1912 he was acting on stage, at the Odéon and many other Parisian theatres, and in 1919-1921 he also directed several of his plays. He entered the Comédie-Française in 1923 and was sociétaire there between 1931 and 1944. After the war, he continued to act on stage for decades, mostly under direction of Jean-Louis Barrault, but at occasions also by Louis Jouvet. Between 1916 and 1978 Bertin acted in some 74 films and TV productions. He started out in L'instinct (Henri Pouctal, 1916), starring Raphaël and Huguette Duflos. After just a few more silents, he left the film sets for years, returning when sound film had set in. He immediately had major parts in L'amour chante (Robert Florey, 1930), Je serai seule après minuit (Jacques de Baroncelli, 1931), Faubourg Montmartre (Raymond Bernard, 1931), and Le Cordon bleu (Karl Anton, 1932) - in which Bertin had the lead. Later followed Péchés de jeunesse (Maurice Tourneur, 1941), Mademoiselle Béatrice (Max de Vaucorbeil, 1943), L'Insaisissable Frédéric (Richard Pottier, 1946), and Cyrano de Bergerac (Fernand Rivers, 1946) - in which he was de Comte de Guiche opposite Claude Dauphin in the title role. In the classic Orphée (Jean Cocteau, 1950), Bertin played the commissioner. His later films included Véronique (Robert Vernay, 1950), the remakes of Tire-au-flanc (1950) and Knock (1951), Elena et les Hommes (Jean Renoir, 1955/56), and Les Bonnes Femmes (Claude Chabrol, 1959). In La Nuit des adieux (Jean Dréville, 1965) he was the father of Marius Petipa, and in Lo straniero/The Stranger (Luchino Visconti, 1967) he was the judge. Bertin was also a voice actor for documentaries and performed on television as well.
French postcard in the series Nos Artistes dans Leur Loge, no. 214. Photo: Comoedia. Editions La Fayette, Paris. Charles Le Bargy in the play 'Le Duel' by Lavedan.
Charles Le Bargy (1858 - 1936) was already a famous stage actor in his time, performing at the Comedie Française, when he debuted in film as the perfidous king Henry III in L'Assassinat du Duc de Guise (1908).
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 225. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Louis Gauthier (1864-1946) was a French stage and screen actor, who played in some 32 films, between 1909 and 1938. From the 1890s onwards, he had a rich career on the Parisian stages in stage plays and vaudeville. In 1909, Gauthier also started to act in films at Pathé Frères. In the early 1910s he also worked at Eclair. He was the foreman Hubert in Gerval, le maître de forges (Henri Pouctal, 1912), starring Gilbert Dalleu. Gauthier had leads in Le ruisseau (Georges Denola, 1913) - which he had played on stage in 1907, L'aveugle (Maurice Mariaud, 1913), and Par la main d'un autre (Donald MacKenzie, 1914). In Les deux gosses (Adrien Caillard, 1916) he played Georges de Kerlor, who gives away his little son to a pretty criminal. Other memorable parts he had in Une vie sans joie (Jean Renoir, 1924), Poil de carotte (Julien Duvivier, 1932), La tête d'un homme (Duvivier, 1933), L'homme à l'Hispano (Jean Epstein, 1933), and in Stradivarius (Albert Valentin, Géza von Bolváry, 1935). Gauthier was also a sports director, director of hygiene at the National Federation of physical education and military preparation societies in France and the colonies, director of the swimming course of this federation, inventor of a method of learning of swimming, and instructor of the shooting company of Presles.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 230. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Thérèse Kolb (1856-1935) was a reputed French stage actress, who also had a career in French silent cinema. Born Marie-Thérèse Kolb in Altkirch (Alsace, Haut-Rhin), she won the first prize at the Conservatoire de Paris. She began to act at the Théâtre de l'Odéon with partners Coquelin the Elder and Sarah Bernhardt, with whom she went on a tour of the United States in 1882. Kolb entered the Comédie-Française in 1898, before becoming the 338th member in 1904. She was named honorary member in 1923. In the early 1910s she had only one film role in Le Fils prodigue (Camille de Morlhon, 1912), but from the late 1910s on, Kolb started a steady second career in the silent cinema. In 1921-1922 she was Mme Bicard in four Le Bouif comedies with Tramel, directed by Henri Pouctal and Louis Osmont, while she also had major parts in L'ami Fritz (René Hervil, 1920), Blanchette (Hervil, 1921), Yasmina (André Hugon, 1927), L'île d'amour (Berthe Dagmar, Jean Durand, 1929), L'appassionata (André Liabel, Léon Mathot, 1929), and Le crime de Sylvestre Bonnard (André Berthomieu, 1929). In 1935 Thérèse Kolb died in Levallois-Perret (Seine) and she was buried in the Altkirch cemetery. She was the mother of Jean Kolb.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 235. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Andrée de Chauveron (1890–1965) was a French stage and screen actress. De Chauveron entered the Comédie Française in 1911. She was sociétaire between 1929 and 1945 and became sociétaire honoraire in 1957. In 1961 she celebrated her 50 years at the CF. De Chauveron acted in 12 films and 2 TV-series between 1917 and 1963. One of her first main film parts was in Après lui (Maurice de Féraudy, Gaston Leprieur, 1918), but after four silent films in the late 1910s, she didn't act in film in the 1920s, and, what is more remarkable, in only one film in the 1930s. In e.g. Arlette et l'amour (Robert Vernay, 1943) she is the pushy mother who marries her daughter (Josette Day) with a crook who poses as a count (René Alié).
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 238. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Berthe Bovy (1887-1977) was a Belgian stage and screen actress. She was a regular stage actress at the Comédie Française since 1907, but Bovy also acted in some 30 early silent films, mainly at Pathé. Later she appeared in some 20 sound films between the 1930s and early 1970s. She also worked for TV.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 259. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Maurice Lehmann (1895-1974) was a French actor, director, and producer. He was one of the principal directors of Parisian theatres of the twentieth century. Lehmann, born in Paris, entered as a pensionnaire at the Comédie-Française in 1916 and remained so till 1919. He then directed the theatres of the Porte-Saint-Martin, the Ambigu, the Renaissance, Mogador, Edward VII and the Empire. From 1929 to 1965, he directed the Théâtre du Châtelet and offered lavish performances of musical comedies and big-screen operettas that were hugely successful: Nina Rosa by Sigmund Romberg with André Baugé, L'Auberge du Cheval-Blanc (1948), Francisco Lopez's Le chanteur de Mexico (1951) with Luis Mariano which made a thousand performances, Francis Lopez's Mediterranean with Tino Rossi, and Monsieur Carnaval (1965) by Charles Aznavour with Georges Guétary. Lehmann's only claim of fame as a film actor was as Philippe de Koenigsmark in Koenigsmark (Léonce Perret, 1923). More important was his career as film producer and director. In the 1930s Lehmann founded his film production company, Maurice Lehmann Productions, with which he produced or co-produced several films, e.g. La dame aux camélias (Fernand Rivers, Abel Gance, 1934), Pasteur (Sacha Guitry, 1935), and Le roman d'un jeune homme pauvre (Abel Gance, 1936). Some films he directed himself, such as L'affaire du courrier de Lyon (1937), Le ruisseau (1938), and Fric-Frac (1939), all of which he co-directed with Claude Autant-Lara (but mostly uncredited). Lehmann was also president of the 1956 Cannes Film Festival jury and a jury member in 1957 and 1966. Lehmann was named Commander in the Order of the Legion of Honor in 1970. He was buried at the Père-Lachaise Cemetery.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 268. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Roger Gaillard (1893-1970) was a French stage and screen actor. He started his career in the boulevard comedies of George Feydeau, but he was pensionnaire of the Comédie-Française between 1916 and 1924. Apart from a part in the silent film Molière, sa vie, son œuvre (Jacques de Féraudy, 1922), he was primarily an actor of sound cinema, playing supporting parts in some 20 French films. He acted for reputed directors such as G.W. Pabst, Jean Renoir, Rex Ingram, Max Ophüls, Marcel Carné, and Jean Cocteau.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 293. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Jacques Grétillat (1885–1950) was a French stage actor, who also played in 57 films between 1906 and 1947. Between 1918 and 1920 he also directed 8 films. He first appeared in a Charles Prince (the future Rigadin) comedy, directed by Georges Monca. In 1908 Grétillat acted in a few Film d'Art films at Pathé. He played the evil Lantier opposite Eugénie Nau's Gervaise in the Emile Zola adaptation L'assommoir (Albert Capellani, 1908). He also played the title role in Hamlet (Henri Desfontaines, 1908) and Leonardo da Vinci in Le tragique amour de Mona Lisa (Albert Capellani, 1912). Major parts in the 1910s he also had in L'ambitieuse (Camille de Morlhon, 1912), La proie (Georges Monca, 1917), Le coupable (André Antoine, 1917), and Géo, le mystérieux (Germaine Dulac, 1917). In Quarante H.P. (1919), Grétillat directed himself! He played a man who takes revenge on his former mistress and her new lover, who have been responsible for his ruin. In the 1920s, Grétillat played Vautrin In Le père Goriot (Jacques de Baroncelli, 1921), Nero in Néron (J. Gordon Edwards, 1922), and Dartès in La fille des chiffonniers (Henri Desfontaines, 1922). After that, the actor took a break of many years from the film sets and only returned when sound film had set in. In 1931, Grétillat returned to the screens, and especially in the years 1937-1938 he played many roles. Grétillat's last role was as Auguste in Quai des Orfèvres (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1947), starring Louis Jouvet and Suzy Delair.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 304. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Marcelle Géniat (1881-1959) was a French stage and screen actress. Born Eugénie Pauline Martin in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire, Géniat started very young at the theatre. Already at the age of eight, she played in Zola's 'Assommoir' in Saint Petersburg, alongside Lucien Guitry. She entered the Comédie-Française in 1899, became a member in 1910 and left in 1912. In the 1930s, she was also the director of a correctional centre for girls in Boulogne-Billancourt. In the cinema, she appeared in fifty-three films between 1909 and 1956. Her film debut was in Le roi s'amuse (Albert Capellani, 1909). She played in four films in the 1910s including two by Léonce Perret. Her largest output was in the French sound film of the 1930s and 1940s. She had the lead in La joueuse d'orgue (Gaston Roudès, 1936), an adaptation of a classic novel by Xavier de Montepin which had already been filmed in 1925, and which deals with a woman who witnesses a crime but has become blind because of it. Géniat also had major parts as La Chouette in Les mystères de Paris (Félix Gandéra, 1935) with Madeleine Ozeray, as the mother of Raimu in L'étrange Monsieur Victor (Jean Grémillon, 1938), and opposite Pierre Fresnay as Mamouret in Le briseur de chaînes (Jacques Daniel-Norman, 1941). Marcelle Géniat was buried in the Parisian cemetery of Saint-Ouen (Seine-Saint-Denis). She was the mother of actress Gilberte Géniat.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 313. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Alexandre Arnaudy (1881-1969), born Marius Guarino, had a rich stage career on the stage, before expanding this with an additional career in French cinema from the early 1930s. In 1925, he had already played a minor part in the silent adventure film Surcouf (Litz-Morat, 1925). From 1932 to 1953, Arnaudy played in some 20 films, e.g. in the title roles of the Marcel Pagnol adaptations Cigalon (1935) and Topaze (1936). Both comedies were directed by Pagnol himself.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 315. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Saint-Granier (1890-1976) was a French journalist, singer, (song)writer, actor, director, and radio star. He first developed a career as theatre journalist. Between the two world wars, he was one of the great personalities of the French cabaret, and also of revues with Maurice Chevalier at the Casino de Paris. He was the director of Paramount Pictures in France in the early 1930s, and acted in several films at that time. In the 1930s, Saint-Granier also had a career in radio, eventually becoming the producer of the beloved Radio-Cité in 1937.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 4. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Félix Mayol (1872-1941) was a popular French singer of the Belle Epoque. Born in Toulon, he made a modest debut on the stages of Toulon and Marseille. In 1895, he became a success in Paris in 1895 as a singer performing in a campy, effeminate way. An anecdote published in his memoirs reports that for lack of finding a camellia, that the elegant men wore at the time on the revers of their frock coat, he took a bit of lily of the valley which became his emblem. The improbable hair tassel he wore (and which gave him the nickname of 'the red-toupeed artist' or 'flame of punch') became so famous that it inspired many imitators. He knew his first great success in 1896 with 'La Paimpolaise' by Théodore Botrel. In 1900, after a brief stint at the Eldorado where he sang 'À la cabane bambou', he was engaged by La Scala. It was there that he created the title that would make him both rich and famous: 'Viens, poupoule!' (1902), an adaptation of a German song arranged by Henri Christiné and Alexandre Trébitsch. He recidivated in 1905 with 'La Matchiche', the adaptation of a fashionable Spanish dance song. The same year, he performed at Gaumont in 14 phonoscènes under the direction of Alice Guy, such as La Paimpolaise. These were short sound films using a sound on disc system. Several still exist. Already, Mayol had to his credit many recordings on cylinders and on discs. After the 1905 phonoscènes series at Gaumont, Mayol acted in five more films, according to IMDb. He appeared in three silent films, including Le filon du Bouif (Louis Osmont, 1922), and two early sound films, Aux urnes, citoyens!/Tu sera député (Jean Hémard, 1932) and La dame de chez Maxim's (Alexander Korda, 1933) starring Florelle.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 51. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Pierre Magnier (1869-1959) was a French stage and screen actor and director, acting in over 100 films and known for La roue (Abel Gance, 1923), Cyrano de Bergerac (Augusto Genina, 1923) and La règle du jeu (Jean Renoir, 1939).
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 82. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Tarquini d'Or (1882-1949) was a French stage and screen actor and operetta singer, who was an operetta singer in the 1920s and acted in 8 French early sound films. He was e.g. the singer in the French version of Der Kongress tanzt: Le congrès s'amuse (Jean Boyer, Erik Charell, 1931). Another memorable role he had in the Zola adaptation L'assommoir (Gaston Roudès, 1933). Tarquini d'Or (first name Brutus), was the son of famous cabaret singer Aristide Bruant and his companion singer Mathilde Tarquini d'Or. He was born in La Chaux de Fond, Switzerland, and died in Sens, France. For one of his songs, see www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTE57hnE-Ko
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 135. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Denis d'Inès (1885–1968) was a renowned stage actor, who also knew a career in cinema. Born in Paris as Joseph-Victor-Octave Denis, he started acting by 1905 in plays directed by André Antoine and remained with him for many years. He entered the Comédie-Française in 1914, was a sociétaire there from 1920 to 1953, General administrator ad intérim in 1945, dean from 1945 to 1953, and honorary sociétaire from 1954. In the silent era d'Inès played in a handful of shorts at the company Eclipse, mostly film d'art-like adaptations of Shakespeare plays. He also played in the 1914 exotic adventure film Le scarabée d'or (Henri Desfontaines, 1914), based on an Edgar Allen Poe story. After that Denis d'Inès only returned to the film sets from 1938 onwards. He played some 20 parts between 1938 and 1959, often as distinguished clergymen (cardinals, bishops, etc.) and generals. He was directed by Christian-Jaque in Boule de suif (Christian-Jaque, 1945), D'homme à hommes (Christian-Jaque, 1948), and Madame du Barry (Christian-Jaque, 1954). Other memorable parts he had in La tragédie impériale (Marcel L'Herbier, 1938) - his first sound film part, and Véronique (Robert Vernay, 1950).
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 142. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Jean Joffre aka Joffre, full name Jean François Omer Joffre, (1872-1944) was a French stage and screen actor. Born in Rivesaltes (Pyrénées-Orientales), Joffre started his stage career at least in 1905 and played at the Parisian Théâtre du Vaudeville till 1924. Between 1926 and 1929 he worked at the Théâtre de la Porte-Saint-Martin. Joffre started acting on-screen from 1911-1912 at Pathé Frères, with directors such as René Leprince and Ferdinand Zecca. In the late 1910s, he played in Fauvette (Gérard Bourgeois, 1918) and Le petit café (Raymond Bernard, 1919). In the 1920s. he had a rich career in the French silent cinema, including major parts in such films as La Rafale (Jacques de Baroncelli, 1920), Fromont jeune et Risler aîné (Henry Krauss, 1921), and Les Trois Mousquetaires (Henri Diamant-Berger, 1921) as M. Bonacieux. He was also unit manager for the latter film. However, Joffre's most active film acting career he had in the 1930s and early 1940s, in particular in 1938 when he acted in some 8 films, though all in minor parts. Memorable parts he had in Amants et voleurs (Raymond Bernard, 1935) starring Florelle and Pierre Blanchar, and as Dantès' father in Le comte de Monte Cristo, 1ère époque: Edmond Dantès (Robert Vernay, 1943) starring Pierre-Richard Willm. The latter was Joffre's last film role.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 147. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
André Brunot (1879-1973) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than twenty films from 1910 to 1966. Brunot was a student at the Conservatoire de Paris and won first prize there in 1903. He entered the Comédie-Française in 1903 and was sociétaire between 1910 and 1944. He became dean here between 1939 and 1944, and sociétaire honoraire in 1952. After leaving the Comédie-Française in 1944, he joined the Renaud-Barrault company for at least two decades and almost 30 plays, almost all directed by Jean-Louis Barrault. While Brunot had done a handful of silent shorts in the silent era, including the lead in the silent comedy L'affaire Blaireau (Louis Osmont, 1923), he came back to the film sets in 1934 with the Molière adaptation Les Précieuses ridicules (Léonce Perret, 1934). Four years after, his career really set off with his part of Monsieur Grenaison in Entrée des artistes (Marc Allégret, 1938), starring Louis Jouvet, and his most outstanding role as Jane Marken's husband, hotel patron Père Lecouvreur in Hôtel du Nord (Marcel Carné, 1938). From then, he played many supporting roles on the screen until 1959. Brunot's last film part was that of the priest in Jean Renoir's Le déjeuner sur l'herbe (1959).
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 156. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Amélie Diéterle (1871-1941) was one the most beloved actresses and singers of the Belle Epoque, who inspired poets and painters such as Mallarmé and Rodin. Between 1909 and 1913 she acted in 27 shorts films at Pathé Frères: mostly Rigadin comedies directed by Georges Monca.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 163. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Roger Monteaux (1879-1974) was a French stage and screen actor. Born in Boulogne-Billancourt, Monteaux first acted at the Théâtre du Vaudeville and the Théâtre Réjane, then in the 1910s at the Théâtre de l'Athénée and the Théâtre du Gymnase, before entering the Comédie-Française in 1915. Between 1923 and 1936 he was sociétaire there, alternating classic plays by Molière or after classic famous authors such as Balzac and Hugo, with modern plays by e.g. Henri Bataille. Between 1909 and 1911 Monteaux played at Pathé Frères in some 13 short silent films, mostly historical and modern dramas, directed by André Calmettes, Georges Monca, Henri Pouctal, and others. In the early 1920s, he acted in 5 silent features, such as Roger la Honte (Jacques de Baroncelli, 1922) and the Honoré de Balzac adaptation Le cousin Pons (Jacques Robert, 1924). It then took until 1937 for Monteaux to act in films again. Between 1937 and 1960 he played in some 20 films, mostly in minor parts, sometimes even uncredited. He had a major part as a stern father in Dominique (Yvan Noé, 1950) starring Michel Barbey as the title character. Dominique is chased from his parents' house when they discover he works in a cinema and lives with a girl, Simone (Claire Muriel). He hence lives with Simone, who receives funding from a mysterious stranger, who proves to be none other than Dominique's father. The latter explains he wanted to free his son from his mother and her bourgeois relatives. Roger Monteaux died at the high age of 95 years in Monaco in 1974.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 167. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Félix Oudart (1881–1956) was a French stage and film actor. Born in Lille, he followed acting classes there, then played his first roles at the Grand Théâtre de Reims, where he also directed, and in Paris, in particular at the Théâtre de l'Odéon and the Gaîté-Lyrique. With Louis Jouvet he participated in the creation of two plays by Jean Giraudoux: 'Intermezzo' (1933) and 'Ondine' (1939). He acted in film between 1919 and 1953. While he played in only a handful films in the silent era, e.g. in Crainquebille (Jacques Feyder, 1922) and Tire-au-flanc (Jean Renoir, 1928), he had an enormous output in the 1930s. These films included the sound remake of Tire-au-flanc (Henri Wulschleger, 1933). Among his last films were Au diable la vertu (Jean Laviron, 1952) and L'Île aux femmes nues (Henri Lepage, 1953).
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 181. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Frédéric Duvallès (1884-1971) was a popular French comedian who knew a rich career in French sound cinema of the 1930s and 1950s. Examples of his films are L'héritier du Bal Tabarin (Jean Kemm, 1933), Train de plaisir (Léo Joannon, 1936), and Vacances payées (Maurice Cammage, 1938), in which he had the lead. All in all, he acted in some 46 films.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 184. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Jules-Adolphe Simon aka Marcel Simon, born in Brussels in 1872 and died in Paris in 1958, was a Belgian actor and director. As a friend of George Feydeau, he contributed to the creation of many of his plays, such as 'Monsieur chasse!' (1892), 'La Dame de chez Maxim' (1899), 'La Puce à l'oreille' (1907), and 'Occupe-toi d'Amélie' (1908). From 1908 he acted in film, first in comedies (with Rigadin) and dramas directed by Georges Monca. Then he appeared at Éclair in dramas directed by Maurice Tourneur such as the murder mystery Le Mystère de la chambre jaune (1913) and its sequel Le Parfum de la dame en noir (1914), but also in Feydeau adaptations such as Occupe-toi d'Amélie (1912). While absent from the screen in the 1920s, Simon returned with the arrival of sound cinema. In the 1930s, he had a very prolific screen career, playing major supporting parts as aristocrats, directors, and high-ranked military. Among his last films was Boule de suif (Christian-Jaque, 1950). Simon was also film director between 1913 and 1921, mostly of comedies such as the Feydeau adaptation La Puce à l'oreille (1914) and a few with the character Germain. Simon was married to actress Marguerite Pierry.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 194. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Élisabeth Nizan (1896-1969) was a French stage actress. She only played in four films, but two were classics: La dixième symphonie (1918) and J'accuse (1919), both directed by Abel Gance. She entered the Comédie-Française in 1915 and between 1932 and 1936 she was sociétaire there.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 210. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Pierre Bertin (1891-1984) was a French stage and screen actor, director and scenographer. As of 1912 he was acting on stage, at the Odéon and many other Parisian theatres, and in 1919-1921 he also directed several of his plays. He entered the Comédie-Française in 1923 and was sociétaire there between 1931 and 1944. After the war, he continued to act on stage for decades, mostly under direction of Jean-Louis Barrault, but at occasions also by Louis Jouvet. Between 1916 and 1978 Bertin acted in some 74 films and TV productions. He started out in L'instinct (Henri Pouctal, 1916), starring Raphaël and Huguette Duflos. After just a few more silents, he left the film sets for years, returning when sound film had set in. He immediately had major parts in L'amour chante (Robert Florey, 1930), Je serai seule après minuit (Jacques de Baroncelli, 1931), Faubourg Montmartre (Raymond Bernard, 1931), and Le Cordon bleu (Karl Anton, 1932) - in which Bertin had the lead. Later followed Péchés de jeunesse (Maurice Tourneur, 1941), Mademoiselle Béatrice (Max de Vaucorbeil, 1943), L'Insaisissable Frédéric (Richard Pottier, 1946), and Cyrano de Bergerac (Fernand Rivers, 1946) - in which he was de Comte de Guiche opposite Claude Dauphin in the title role. In the classic Orphée (Jean Cocteau, 1950), Bertin played the commissioner. His later films included Véronique (Robert Vernay, 1950), the remakes of Tire-au-flanc (1950) and Knock (1951), Elena et les Hommes (Jean Renoir, 1955/56), and Les Bonnes Femmes (Claude Chabrol, 1959). In La Nuit des adieux (Jean Dréville, 1965) he was the father of Marius Petipa, and in Lo straniero/The Stranger (Luchino Visconti, 1967) he was the judge. Bertin was also a voice actor for documentaries and performed on television as well.
French postcard in the series Nos Artistes dans Leur Loge, no. 214. Photo: Comoedia. Editions La Fayette, Paris. Charles Le Bargy in the play 'Le Duel' by Lavedan.
Charles Le Bargy (1858 - 1936) was already a famous stage actor in his time, performing at the Comedie Française, when he debuted in film as the perfidous king Henry III in L'Assassinat du Duc de Guise (1908).
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 225. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Louis Gauthier (1864-1946) was a French stage and screen actor, who played in some 32 films, between 1909 and 1938. From the 1890s onwards, he had a rich career on the Parisian stages in stage plays and vaudeville. In 1909, Gauthier also started to act in films at Pathé Frères. In the early 1910s he also worked at Eclair. He was the foreman Hubert in Gerval, le maître de forges (Henri Pouctal, 1912), starring Gilbert Dalleu. Gauthier had leads in Le ruisseau (Georges Denola, 1913) - which he had played on stage in 1907, L'aveugle (Maurice Mariaud, 1913), and Par la main d'un autre (Donald MacKenzie, 1914). In Les deux gosses (Adrien Caillard, 1916) he played Georges de Kerlor, who gives away his little son to a pretty criminal. Other memorable parts he had in Une vie sans joie (Jean Renoir, 1924), Poil de carotte (Julien Duvivier, 1932), La tête d'un homme (Duvivier, 1933), L'homme à l'Hispano (Jean Epstein, 1933), and in Stradivarius (Albert Valentin, Géza von Bolváry, 1935). Gauthier was also a sports director, director of hygiene at the National Federation of physical education and military preparation societies in France and the colonies, director of the swimming course of this federation, inventor of a method of learning of swimming, and instructor of the shooting company of Presles.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 230. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Thérèse Kolb (1856-1935) was a reputed French stage actress, who also had a career in French silent cinema. Born Marie-Thérèse Kolb in Altkirch (Alsace, Haut-Rhin), she won the first prize at the Conservatoire de Paris. She began to act at the Théâtre de l'Odéon with partners Coquelin the Elder and Sarah Bernhardt, with whom she went on a tour of the United States in 1882. Kolb entered the Comédie-Française in 1898, before becoming the 338th member in 1904. She was named honorary member in 1923. In the early 1910s she had only one film role in Le Fils prodigue (Camille de Morlhon, 1912), but from the late 1910s on, Kolb started a steady second career in the silent cinema. In 1921-1922 she was Mme Bicard in four Le Bouif comedies with Tramel, directed by Henri Pouctal and Louis Osmont, while she also had major parts in L'ami Fritz (René Hervil, 1920), Blanchette (Hervil, 1921), Yasmina (André Hugon, 1927), L'île d'amour (Berthe Dagmar, Jean Durand, 1929), L'appassionata (André Liabel, Léon Mathot, 1929), and Le crime de Sylvestre Bonnard (André Berthomieu, 1929). In 1935 Thérèse Kolb died in Levallois-Perret (Seine) and she was buried in the Altkirch cemetery. She was the mother of Jean Kolb.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 235. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Andrée de Chauveron (1890–1965) was a French stage and screen actress. De Chauveron entered the Comédie Française in 1911. She was sociétaire between 1929 and 1945 and became sociétaire honoraire in 1957. In 1961 she celebrated her 50 years at the CF. De Chauveron acted in 12 films and 2 TV-series between 1917 and 1963. One of her first main film parts was in Après lui (Maurice de Féraudy, Gaston Leprieur, 1918), but after four silent films in the late 1910s, she didn't act in film in the 1920s, and, what is more remarkable, in only one film in the 1930s. In e.g. Arlette et l'amour (Robert Vernay, 1943) she is the pushy mother who marries her daughter (Josette Day) with a crook who poses as a count (René Alié).
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 238. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Berthe Bovy (1887-1977) was a Belgian stage and screen actress. She was a regular stage actress at the Comédie Française since 1907, but Bovy also acted in some 30 early silent films, mainly at Pathé. Later she appeared in some 20 sound films between the 1930s and early 1970s. She also worked for TV.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 259. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Maurice Lehmann (1895-1974) was a French actor, director, and producer. He was one of the principal directors of Parisian theatres of the twentieth century. Lehmann, born in Paris, entered as a pensionnaire at the Comédie-Française in 1916 and remained so till 1919. He then directed the theatres of the Porte-Saint-Martin, the Ambigu, the Renaissance, Mogador, Edward VII and the Empire. From 1929 to 1965, he directed the Théâtre du Châtelet and offered lavish performances of musical comedies and big-screen operettas that were hugely successful: Nina Rosa by Sigmund Romberg with André Baugé, L'Auberge du Cheval-Blanc (1948), Francisco Lopez's Le chanteur de Mexico (1951) with Luis Mariano which made a thousand performances, Francis Lopez's Mediterranean with Tino Rossi, and Monsieur Carnaval (1965) by Charles Aznavour with Georges Guétary. Lehmann's only claim of fame as a film actor was as Philippe de Koenigsmark in Koenigsmark (Léonce Perret, 1923). More important was his career as film producer and director. In the 1930s Lehmann founded his film production company, Maurice Lehmann Productions, with which he produced or co-produced several films, e.g. La dame aux camélias (Fernand Rivers, Abel Gance, 1934), Pasteur (Sacha Guitry, 1935), and Le roman d'un jeune homme pauvre (Abel Gance, 1936). Some films he directed himself, such as L'affaire du courrier de Lyon (1937), Le ruisseau (1938), and Fric-Frac (1939), all of which he co-directed with Claude Autant-Lara (but mostly uncredited). Lehmann was also president of the 1956 Cannes Film Festival jury and a jury member in 1957 and 1966. Lehmann was named Commander in the Order of the Legion of Honor in 1970. He was buried at the Père-Lachaise Cemetery.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 268. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Roger Gaillard (1893-1970) was a French stage and screen actor. He started his career in the boulevard comedies of George Feydeau, but he was pensionnaire of the Comédie-Française between 1916 and 1924. Apart from a part in the silent film Molière, sa vie, son œuvre (Jacques de Féraudy, 1922), he was primarily an actor of sound cinema, playing supporting parts in some 20 French films. He acted for reputed directors such as G.W. Pabst, Jean Renoir, Rex Ingram, Max Ophüls, Marcel Carné, and Jean Cocteau.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 293. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Jacques Grétillat (1885–1950) was a French stage actor, who also played in 57 films between 1906 and 1947. Between 1918 and 1920 he also directed 8 films. He first appeared in a Charles Prince (the future Rigadin) comedy, directed by Georges Monca. In 1908 Grétillat acted in a few Film d'Art films at Pathé. He played the evil Lantier opposite Eugénie Nau's Gervaise in the Emile Zola adaptation L'assommoir (Albert Capellani, 1908). He also played the title role in Hamlet (Henri Desfontaines, 1908) and Leonardo da Vinci in Le tragique amour de Mona Lisa (Albert Capellani, 1912). Major parts in the 1910s he also had in L'ambitieuse (Camille de Morlhon, 1912), La proie (Georges Monca, 1917), Le coupable (André Antoine, 1917), and Géo, le mystérieux (Germaine Dulac, 1917). In Quarante H.P. (1919), Grétillat directed himself! He played a man who takes revenge on his former mistress and her new lover, who have been responsible for his ruin. In the 1920s, Grétillat played Vautrin In Le père Goriot (Jacques de Baroncelli, 1921), Nero in Néron (J. Gordon Edwards, 1922), and Dartès in La fille des chiffonniers (Henri Desfontaines, 1922). After that, the actor took a break of many years from the film sets and only returned when sound film had set in. In 1931, Grétillat returned to the screens, and especially in the years 1937-1938 he played many roles. Grétillat's last role was as Auguste in Quai des Orfèvres (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1947), starring Louis Jouvet and Suzy Delair.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 304. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Marcelle Géniat (1881-1959) was a French stage and screen actress. Born Eugénie Pauline Martin in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire, Géniat started very young at the theatre. Already at the age of eight, she played in Zola's 'Assommoir' in Saint Petersburg, alongside Lucien Guitry. She entered the Comédie-Française in 1899, became a member in 1910 and left in 1912. In the 1930s, she was also the director of a correctional centre for girls in Boulogne-Billancourt. In the cinema, she appeared in fifty-three films between 1909 and 1956. Her film debut was in Le roi s'amuse (Albert Capellani, 1909). She played in four films in the 1910s including two by Léonce Perret. Her largest output was in the French sound film of the 1930s and 1940s. She had the lead in La joueuse d'orgue (Gaston Roudès, 1936), an adaptation of a classic novel by Xavier de Montepin which had already been filmed in 1925, and which deals with a woman who witnesses a crime but has become blind because of it. Géniat also had major parts as La Chouette in Les mystères de Paris (Félix Gandéra, 1935) with Madeleine Ozeray, as the mother of Raimu in L'étrange Monsieur Victor (Jean Grémillon, 1938), and opposite Pierre Fresnay as Mamouret in Le briseur de chaînes (Jacques Daniel-Norman, 1941). Marcelle Géniat was buried in the Parisian cemetery of Saint-Ouen (Seine-Saint-Denis). She was the mother of actress Gilberte Géniat.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 313. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Alexandre Arnaudy (1881-1969), born Marius Guarino, had a rich stage career on the stage, before expanding this with an additional career in French cinema from the early 1930s. In 1925, he had already played a minor part in the silent adventure film Surcouf (Litz-Morat, 1925). From 1932 to 1953, Arnaudy played in some 20 films, e.g. in the title roles of the Marcel Pagnol adaptations Cigalon (1935) and Topaze (1936). Both comedies were directed by Pagnol himself.
French postcard in the 'Nos artistes dans leur loge' series, no. 315. Photo: Comoedia, Paris.
Saint-Granier (1890-1976) was a French journalist, singer, (song)writer, actor, director, and radio star. He first developed a career as theatre journalist. Between the two world wars, he was one of the great personalities of the French cabaret, and also of revues with Maurice Chevalier at the Casino de Paris. He was the director of Paramount Pictures in France in the early 1930s, and acted in several films at that time. In the 1930s, Saint-Granier also had a career in radio, eventually becoming the producer of the beloved Radio-Cité in 1937.
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