Georges Berr (30 July 1867 – 21 July 1942) in Paris, was a French actor and dramatist, a member and sociétaire of 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 ...
from 1886 to 1923.
Under the
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
s Colias and Henry Bott he wrote several plays, particularly in collaboration with
Louis Verneuil
Louis Jacques Marie Collin du Bocage (14 May 1893 – 3 November 1952), better known by the pen name Louis Verneuil, was a French playwright, screenwriter, and actor.
Biography
Born in Paris, Verneuil wrote approximately sixty plays and was be ...
. He was
Jean-Pierre Aumont
Jean-Pierre Aumont (born Jean-Pierre Philippe Salomons; 5 January 1911 – 30 January 2001) was a French actor, and holder of the Légion d'Honneur and the Croix de guerre 1939–1945, Croix de Guerre for his World War II military service.
Ea ...
's uncle.
Plays
Partial list of plays written or cowritten by Berr.
* '' L'Amant de Madame Vidal''
* ''La Pomme'' by Verneuil and Berr
* '
* 1900: ''Moins cinq...'' by
Paul Gavault
Paul Armand Marcel Gavault (1 September 1866 - 25 December 1951) was a French dramatist, playwright and former director of the théâtre de l'Odéon.
Biography
He enjoyed a hit with his 1906 comic play '' Mademoiselle Josette, My Woman'' whi ...
and Berr,
Théâtre du Palais-Royal
The Théâtre du Palais-Royal () is a 750-seat Parisian theatre at 38 rue de Montpensier, located at the northwest corner of the Palais-Royal in the Galerie de Montpensier at its intersection with the Galerie de Beaujolais.
Brief history
...
* 1901: ''L'Inconnue'' by Gavault and Berr, Théâtre du Palais-Royal
* 1901: ''Madame Flirt'' by Gavault and Berr,
Théâtre de l'Athénée
The Théâtre de l'Athénée is a theatre at 7 rue Boudreau, in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Renovated in 1996 and classified a historical monument, the Athénée inherits an artistic tradition marked by the figure of Louis Jouvet who direc ...
* 1902: ''Les Aventures du capitaine Corcoran'' by Gavault, Berr and Adrien Vély,
Théâtre du Châtelet
The Théâtre du Châtelet () is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France.
One of two theatres (the other being the Théâtre de la Ville) built on the site of a ''châtelet'', a s ...
* 1902: ''La Carotte'' by Berr, Paul Dehere and Marcel Guillemaud, Théâtre du Palais-Royal
* 1904: ''La Dette'' by Gavault and Berr, Théâtre de l'Odéon
* 1905: ''Les Merlereau'', 3 acts comedy, Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens
* 1905: ''La Marche forcée'' by Berr and Marc Sonal, Théâtre du Palais-Royal
* 1913: ''Un jeune homme qui se tue'', 4 acts comedy, Théâtre Femina
* 1914: ''J'ose pas'', 3 acts comedy, Théâtre du Palais-Royal
* 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 ...
'' de
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 world ...
,
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 ...
* 1925: ''Azaïs'' by
Louis Verneuil
Louis Jacques Marie Collin du Bocage (14 May 1893 – 3 November 1952), better known by the pen name Louis Verneuil, was a French playwright, screenwriter, and actor.
Biography
Born in Paris, Verneuil wrote approximately sixty plays and was be ...
and Berr
* 1928: ''Le passage de Vénus'', 3 acts comedie-bouffe, Théâtre Sarah-Bernhardt
* 1930: ''Miss France'' by Berr and Verneui, Théâtre Édouard VII
* 1930: ''Guignol, un cambrioleur'' by Berr and Verneuil, Théâtre de la Potinière
* 1934: ''Mon crime'' de Georges Berr and Verneuil,
Théâtre des Variétés
The Théâtre des Variétés is a theatre and "salle de spectacles" at 7–8, boulevard Montmartre, 2nd arrondissement, in Paris. It was declared a monument historique in 1974.
History
It owes its creation to the theatre director Mademoiselle ...
* 1935: ''Les Fontaines lumineuses'' by Berr and Verneuil, Théâtre des Variétés
* 1937: ''
The Train for Venice
''The Train for Venice'' (french: Le train pour Venise) is a 1938 French comedy film directed by André Berthomieu and starring Max Dearly, Huguette Duflos and Victor Boucher. It is based on the 1937 play of the same title written by Louis Ver ...
'' by
Louis Verneuil
Louis Jacques Marie Collin du Bocage (14 May 1893 – 3 November 1952), better known by the pen name Louis Verneuil, was a French playwright, screenwriter, and actor.
Biography
Born in Paris, Verneuil wrote approximately sixty plays and was be ...
and Berr,
Théâtre Saint-Georges
The Théâtre Saint-Georges is a theatre in the French capital Paris, located on the Rue Saint-Georges from which it takes its name. Designed by the architect Charles Siclis,Stoddard p.88 it was constructed on the site of a former mansion and ope ...
* 1946: ''Azaïs'', 3 acts comedy by Verneuil and Berr,
Théâtre Daunou
The théâtre Daunou is a Parisian theater with 450 seats, located at 7 rue Daunou in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris.
History
The theatre was a command from the actress Jane Renouardt to the architect Auguste Bluysen. The building is in an ...
Filmography
Actor
* 1910: ''
Le Barbier de Séville
''The Barber of Seville or the Useless Precaution'' (french: Le Barbier de Séville ou la Précaution inutile) is a French play by Pierre Beaumarchais, with original music by Antoine-Laurent Baudron. It was initially conceived as an opéra comi ...
Henri Lavedan
Henri Léon Emile Lavedan (9 April 1859 – 4 September 1940), French dramatist and man of letters, was born at Orléans, the son of , a well-known Catholic and liberal journalist.
Lavedan contributed to various Parisian papers a series of witt ...
, with
Eugène Silvain
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
He left the army to devote himself to opera ...
* 1909: ''
Les Précieuses ridicules
''Les Précieuses ridicules'' (, ''The Absurd Précieuses'' or ''The Affected Ladies'') is a one-act satire by Molière in prose. It takes aim at the ''précieuses'', the ultra-witty ladies who indulged in lively conversations, word games and, in ...
'', after
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 world ...
, with
Béatrix Dussane
Béatrice Dussan, called Béatrix Dussane, (9 March 1888 - 3 March 1969) was a French stage actress. Admitted at the Comédie-Française in 1903, she became the 363th Sociétaires of the Comédie-Française, sociétaire in 1922. A street in the 1 ...
Writer
* ''
The Million
''The Million'' is a 1914 American comedy silent film directed by Thomas N. Heffron and written by Georges Berr, Marcel Guillemaud and Eve Unsell
Eve Unsell (December 6, 1879 – July 6, 1937) was an American screenwriter. She wrote for ...
'' (Silent film, 1914, based on ''Le Million'')
* ''
The Frisky Mrs. Johnson
''The Frisky Mrs. Johnson'' is a 1920 silent film comedy starring Billie Burke. It was produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed through Paramount Pictures. It is based on a 1903 Broadway stage play by Clyde Fitch. On the stage Burke's ...
'' (Silent film, 1920, based on ''Madame Flirt'')
* ''La principessa Bebè'' (Silent film, 1921, based on ''Princesse Bébé'')
* ''
The World at Her Feet
''The World at Her Feet'' is a lost 1927 silent film comedy directed by Luther Reed and starring Florence Vidor. It was produced by the Paramount Lasky Corporation.
Cast
*Florence Vidor as Jane Randall
*Arnold Kent as Richard Randall
*Margar ...
'' (Silent film, 1927, based on ''Maître Bolbec and son mari'')
* '' My Sister and I'' (Silent film, 1929, based on ''Ma sœur et moi'')
* ''
Burglars
Burglary, also called breaking and entering and sometimes housebreaking, is the act of entering a building or other areas without permission, with the intention of committing a criminal offence. Usually that offence is theft, robbery or murder ...
'' (German, 1930, based on ''Guignol, le cambrioleur'')
** ' (French, 1931, based on ''Guignol, le cambrioleur'')
* ''
Le Million
''Le Million'' is a 1931 French musical comedy film directed by René Clair. The story was adapted by Clair from a play by Georges Berr and Marcel Guillemand.
Plot
Michel, a debt-ridden artist, is interrupted several times while romancing Van ...
'' (French, 1931, based on ''Le Million'')
* ''
My Cousin from Warsaw
''My Cousin from Warsaw'' (german: Meine Cousine aus Warschau) is a 1931 German comedy film directed by Carl Boese and starring Liane Haid, Tala Birell, and Fritz Schulz. It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin.Jacobsen p.346 The film ...
'' (French, 1931, based on ''Ma cousine de Varsovie'')
** ''
My Cousin from Warsaw
''My Cousin from Warsaw'' (german: Meine Cousine aus Warschau) is a 1931 German comedy film directed by Carl Boese and starring Liane Haid, Tala Birell, and Fritz Schulz. It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin.Jacobsen p.346 The film ...
'' (German, 1931, based on ''Ma cousine de Varsovie'')
* ' (French, 1932, based on ''Un coup de téléphone'')
* ' (French, 1932, based on ''Azaïs'')
* '' Just My Luck'' (1933, based on ''Azaïs'')
* ''Ihre Durchlaucht, die Verkäuferin'' (German, 1933, based on ''Ma sœur et moi'')
** ' (French, 1934, based on ''Ma sœur et moi'')
* ' (French, 1934, original screenplay)
* '' The Bread Peddler'' (French, 1934, dialogue)
* ''Arlette et ses papas'' (French, 1934, based on ''Avril'')
* ' (French, 1934, based on ''L'École des contribuables'')
* ' (French, 1934, based on ''Maître Bolbec et son mari'')
* ''Le Bossu'' (French, 1934, dialogue)
* ' (French, 1935, dialogue)
* ''
Speak to Me of Love
''Speak to Me of Love'' (french: link=no, Parlez-moi d'amour) is a 2002 French drama film written and directed by Sophie Marceau and starring Judith Godrèche, Niels Arestrup, and Anne Le Ny. The first feature-length motion picture directed by ...
'' (French, 1935, based on ''Parlez-moi d'amour'')
* ' (French, 1935, dialogue)
* ''
The Lover of Madame Vidal
''The Lover of Madame Vidal'' (French: ''L'amant de Madame Vidal'') is a 1936 French comedy film directed by André Berthomieu and starring Elvire Popesco, Victor Boucher and Jacques Louvigny.Goble p.669
It was based on a 1928 play of the sa ...
'' (French, 1936, based on ''L'amant de Madame Vidal'')
* ' (French, 1937, dialogue)
* ''
True Confession
''True Confession'' is a 1937 American screwball comedy film directed by Wesley Ruggles and starring Carole Lombard, Fred MacMurray, and John Barrymore. It was based on the 1934 play ''Mon Crime'', written by Georges Berr and Louis Verneuil. I ...
'' (1937, based on ''Mon Crime'')
* ''
The Train for Venice
''The Train for Venice'' (french: Le train pour Venise) is a 1938 French comedy film directed by André Berthomieu and starring Max Dearly, Huguette Duflos and Victor Boucher. It is based on the 1937 play of the same title written by Louis Ver ...
'' (French, 1938, based on ''Le train pour Venise'')
* '' My Life with Caroline'' (1941, based on ''Le train pour Venise'')
* ''
Mischievous Susana
''Mischievous Susana'' (Spanish: ''La pícara Susana'') is a 1945 Mexican musical comedy film directed by Fernando Cortés and starring Mapy Cortés, Luis Aldás, Fortunio Bonanova and Fernando Cortés.Rivera p.43
Cast
* Mapy Cortés as Susana Mar ...
'' (Spanish, 1945, based on ''Ma sœur et moi'')
* '' Cross My Heart'' (1946, based on ''Mon Crime'')
* ''Ma tante d'Honfleur'' (French, 1949, based on ''Ma tante d'Honfleur'')
* ''Canas al aire'' (Spanish, 1949, based on ''L'amant de Madame Vidal'')
* '' My Sister and I'' (Swedish, 1950, based on ''Ma sœur et moi'')
* ''
Cosas de mujer
''Feminine Wiles'' (Spanish: Cosas de mujer) is a List of Argentine films of 1951, 1951 Argentina, Argentine film directed by Carlos Schlieper. It stars Zully Moreno and Ángel Magaña. It is based on a play by Louis Verneuil.
Cast
*Zully Moreno
...
'' (Spanish, 1951, based on ''Maître Bolbec and son mari'')
* ' (French, 1951, based on ''Le Passage de Vénus'')
* '' My Sister and I'' (German, 1954, based on ''Ma sœur et moi'')
Career 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 ...
* Admitted at the Comédie-Française in 1886
* Sociétaire from 1893 to 1923
* 326th sociétaire
* Honorary sociétaire in 1923
* 1891: ''Thermidor'' by
Victorien Sardou
Victorien Sardou ( , ; 5 September 18318 November 1908) was a French dramatist. He is best remembered today for his development, along with Eugène Scribe, of the well-made play. He also wrote several plays that were made into popular 19th-centur ...
* 1897: ''Mieux vaut douceur et violence'' by Édouard Pailleron
* 1899: ''Le Torrent'' by
Maurice Donnay
Charles Maurice Donnay (12 October 1859 – 31 March 1945) was a French dramatist.
Biography
Donnay was born of middle-class parents in Paris in 1859. His father was a railway engineer and initially Donnay followed a similar profession, st ...
* 1899: ''La Conscience de l'enfant'' by Gaston Devore
* 1902: '' La Grammaire'' by
Eugène Labiche
Eugene is a common male given name that comes from the Greek εὐγενής (''eugenēs''), "noble", literally "well-born", from εὖ (''eu''), "well" and γένος (''genos''), "race, stock, kin".Alphonse Jolly
* 1902: ''La Petite Amie'' 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 ...
* 1903: ''
Business is business
''Business is business'' (french: :fr:Les affaires sont les affaires, Les affaires sont les affaires) is a French comedy in three acts, by the novelist and playwright Octave Mirbeau, performed in April 1903 on the stage of Comédie-Française, in ...
'' by
Octave Mirbeau
Octave Mirbeau (16 February 1848 – 16 February 1917) was a French novelist, art critic, travel writer, pamphleteer, journalist and playwright, who achieved celebrity in Europe and great success among the public, whilst still appealing to the ...
* 1904: ''Le Paon'' by
Francis de Croisset
Francis de Croisset (; born Franz Wiener, 28 January 1877 – 8 November 1937) was a Belgian-born French playwright and opera librettist.
Early life
Born as Franz Wiener, he was educated in Brussels on 28 January 1877 into a prominent Jewish-Bel ...
* 1905: ''
Don Quichotte
''Don Quichotte'' (''Don Quixote'') is an opera in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Caïn. It was first performed on 19 February 1910 at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo.
Massenet's ''comédie-héroïque'', like many dramatize ...
'' by
Jean Richepin
Jean Richepin (; 4 February 1849 – 12 December 1926) was a French poet, novelist and dramatist.
Biography
Son of an army doctor, Jean Richepin was born 4 February 1849 at Médéa, French Algeria.
At school and at the École Normale Supér ...
after
Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-emin ...
* 1905: ''Il était une bergère'' by
André Rivoire
André Rivoire (5 May 1872 – 19 August 1930) was a French poet and playwright whose work was defined by the delicate precision of his observation.
Life and work
Rivoire was born in Vienne, Isère, in eastern France. He studied at the Lycée ...
Racine
Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western traditio ...
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 ...
Robert de Flers
Robert Pellevé de La Motte-Ango, marquis de Flers (25 November 1872, Pont-l'Évêque, Calvados – 30 July 1927, Vittel) was a French playwright, opera librettist, and journalist.Pierre Barillet, ''Les Seigneurs du rire: Flers – Caillavet – ...
and
Gaston Arman de Caillavet
Gaston Arman de Caillavet (13 March 1869 – 13 January 1915) was a French playwright.
Early life
Gaston Arman de Caillavet was born on 13 March 1869. He was the son of Albert Arman de Caillavet and Léontine Lippmann. His maternal grandfa ...
* 1908: ''Le Bon Roi Dagobert'' by
André Rivoire
André Rivoire (5 May 1872 – 19 August 1930) was a French poet and playwright whose work was defined by the delicate precision of his observation.
Life and work
Rivoire was born in Vienne, Isère, in eastern France. He studied at the Lycée ...
* 1912: '' Le Mariage forcé'' by Molière
* 1913: ''La Marche nuptiale'' by
Henry Bataille
Félix-Henri "Henry" Bataille (4 April 1872, in Nîmes – 2 March 1922, in Rueil-Malmaison) was a French dramatist and poet. His works were popular between 1900 and the start of World War I.
Bataille's parents died when he was young. He attend ...
* 1915: ''Le Mariage forcé'' by Molière
* 1920: ''
L'Amour médecin
''L'Amour médecin'' (Dr. Cupid) is a French comedy written by Molière. It was presented for the first time by order of King Louis XIV at Versailles on September 22, 1665. Molière's foreword to the text states that the play is only a sketch, ...
'' by Molière
* 1920: ''
The Imaginary Cuckold
''Sganarelle, or The Imaginary Cuckold'' (french: Sganarelle, ou Le Cocu imaginaire) is a one-act comedy in verse by Molière. It was first performed on 28 May 1660 at the Théâtre du Petit-Bourbon in Paris to great success. Molière himself pla ...
'' by Molière
* 1921: '' Le Sicilien ou l'Amour peintre'' by Molière
* 1921: '' Les Fâcheux'' by Molière
* 1922: ''Dom Juan'' by Molière
* 1922: ''Remerciement au roi'' by Molière]
* 1922: ''L'Amour veille'' by
Gaston Arman de Caillavet
Gaston Arman de Caillavet (13 March 1869 – 13 January 1915) was a French playwright.
Early life
Gaston Arman de Caillavet was born on 13 March 1869. He was the son of Albert Arman de Caillavet and Léontine Lippmann. His maternal grandfa ...
and
Robert de Flers
Robert Pellevé de La Motte-Ango, marquis de Flers (25 November 1872, Pont-l'Évêque, Calvados – 30 July 1927, Vittel) was a French playwright, opera librettist, and journalist.Pierre Barillet, ''Les Seigneurs du rire: Flers – Caillavet – ...
* 1923: '' Le Dépit amoureux'' by Molière
* 1924: ''Les Trois Sultanes'' by
Charles-Simon Favart
Charles Simon Favart (13 November 1710 – 12 May 1792) was a French playwright and theatre director. The Salle Favart in Paris is named after him.
Biography
Born in Paris, the son of a pastry-cook, he was educated at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand, a ...