Eugène-Charles-Joseph Silvain (17 June 1851 - 21 August 1930) was a French stage actor, pensionnaire of the Comédie française, sociétaire then dean of the compagny from 1878 to 1928.

Biography

Père-Lachaise - Division 87 - Columbarium 4515-4592

He left the army to devote himself to opera. He made his debut in Algeria, then played

Beaumarchais Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (; 24 January 1732 – 18 May 1799) was a French polymath. At various times in his life, he was a watchmaker, inventor, playwright, musician, diplomat, spy, publisher, horticulturist, arms dealer, satirist, ...

in Paris. He was received at the Conservatoire d'art dramatique, and later admitted at the

Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...

where he was very successful. In 1883, he became sociétaire of the Comédie-Française. Silvain only had one film acting role, two years before his death, but his appearance as

Pierre Cauchon Pierre Cauchon (1371 – 18 December 1442) was Bishop of Beauvais from 1420 to 1432. He was a strong partisan of English interests in France during the latter years of the Hundred Years' War. He was the judge in the trial of Joan of Arc an ...

in Carl Theodor Dreyer's classic ''

The Passion of Joan of Arc ''The Passion of Joan of Arc'' (french: link=no, La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc) is a 1928 French silent historical film based on the actual record of the trial of Joan of Arc. The film was directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer and stars Renée Jeanne ...

'' earned him a small spot in film history. He married , a tragedian with a brilliant career at the théâtre de l'Odéon, then at the

. He was cremated and his ashes are located at the

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (french: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise ; formerly , "East Cemetery") is the largest cemetery in Paris, France (). With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Notable figure ...

(case 4454 of the columbarium).

Theatre

* 1876 : ''L'Ombre de Déjazet'' by

Paul Delair Paul Alexandre Delair (24 October 1842 – 19 January 1894) was a 19th-century French playwright, poet, chansonnier and novelist. An administrator at the Académie des Beaux-Arts, he took an active part to the organization of the Exposition univ ...

(28 October), Troisième Théâtre-Français * 1877 : ''L'Amour et l'Argent'' d'Ernest de Calonne, Troisième Théâtre-Français

Comédie-Française

: Admission in 1878 : Named 310th sociétaire in 1883 : Dean from 1916 to 1928 : Leave in 1928 * 1879 : '' The School for Husbands'' by

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and worl ...

: Ergaste * 1889 : ''L'École des maris'' by Molière: Ergaste * 1891 : ''Griselidis'' by Armand Silvestre and Eugène Morand: le marquis de Saluces * 1894 : ''Severo Torelli'' by

François Coppée François Edouard Joachim Coppée (26 January 1842 – 23 May 1908) was a French poet and novelist. Biography Coppée was born in Paris to a civil servant. After attending the Lycée Saint-Louis he became a clerk in the ministry of war and won ...

* 1897 : ''Tristan de Léonois'' by Armand Silvestre * 1901 : '' L'Énigme'' by

Paul Hervieu Paul Hervieu (2 September 185725 October 1915) was a French novelist and playwright. Early years He was born Paul-Ernest Hervieu in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. Hervieu was born into a wealthy upper-middle-class family. He studied law, but so ...

* 1901 : ''

Les Burgraves ''Les Burgraves'' is a historical play by Victor Hugo, first performed by the Comédie-Française on 7 March 1843. It takes place along the Rhine and features the return of Emperor Barbarossa. The play failed commercially and was the last of Hugo ...

'' by

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

* 1902 : ''L'École des maris'' by Molière : Ergaste * 1904 : ''Le Père Lebonnard'' by

Jean Aicard Jean François Victor Aicard (4 February 1848 – 13 May 1921) was a French poet, dramatist, and novelist. Biography He was born in Toulon. His father, Jean Aicard, was a journalist of some distinction, and the son began his career in 1867 wit ...

: Lebonnard * 1906 : '' Hernani'' by

* 1907 : ''

Polyeucte ''Polyeucte'' is a drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in ge ...

'' by

Corneille Pierre Corneille (; 6 June 1606 – 1 October 1684) was a French tragedian. He is generally considered one of the three great seventeenth-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine. As a young man, he earned the valuable patronag ...

* 1907 : '' Electra'' by

Sophocles Sophocles (; grc, Σοφοκλῆς, , Sophoklễs; 497/6 – winter 406/5 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. is one of three ancient Greek tragedians, at least one of whose plays has survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or c ...

* 1909 : ''La Robe rouge'' by

Eugène Brieux Eugène Brieux (; 19 January 18586 December 1932), French dramatist, was born in Paris of poor parents. Biography Works A one-act play, ''Bernard Palissy'', written in collaboration with M. Gaston Salandri, was produced in 1879, but he h ...

* 1915 : '' Le Mariage forcé'' by Molière * 1920 : ''La Fille de Roland'' by Henri de Bornier * 1920 : '' Hernani'' by Victor Hugo * 1920 : ''

The Death of Pompey ''The Death of Pompey'' (''La Mort de Pompée'') is a tragedy by the French playwright Pierre Corneille on the death of Pompey the Great. It was first performed in 1642, with Julius Caesar played by Molière. Like many of Corneille's plays, it ...

'' by Corneille * 1922 : ''

Dom Juan ''Dom Juan ou le Festin de pierre'' ("Don Juan or The Feast of the Stone tatue) is a five-act 1665 comedy by Molière based upon the Spanish legend of Don Juan Tenorio. The aristocrat Dom Juan is a rake who seduces, marries, and abandons Elvir ...

'' by Molière * 1922 : '' Marion Delorme'' by Victor Hugo * 1923 : ''Electra'' by Sophocles

Filmography

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éireann, the day after Éamon de Valera ...

: '' Molière, sa vie, son œuvre'' (

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

) *

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhan ...

: ''

'': Bishop

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Silvain, Eugene French male stage actors Sociétaires of the Comédie-Française 19th-century French male actors 20th-century French male actors People from Bourg-en-Bresse 1851 births 1930 deaths Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery