Jane Faber (19 October 1880 – 13 May 1968) was a Belgian stage actress, in residence 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 ...

from 1910 to 1951. She also appeared in over twenty films.

Early life

Jeanne Théodorine de Smet was born in

Ixelles ( French, ) or (Dutch, ), is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located to the south-east of Brussels' city centre, it is geographically bisected by the City of Brussels. It is also bordered by the muni ...

. She trained for a stage career at the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

, a student of Charles le Bargy.

Career

At age 30, Faber became a resident at the Comédie-Française, and she maintained that status for over forty years. She appeared at the theatre in ''

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 ...

'' (1910), ''

Poil de carotte ''Poil de carotte'' (En: ''Carrot Head'' or ''Carrot Top'') is a long short story or autobiographical novel by Jules Renard published in 1894 which recounts the childhood and the trials of a redheaded child. It is probably in this miserable child ...

'' (1912), ''La marche nuptiale'' (1913), ''

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, ...

'' (1920), ''

Les Fourberies de Scapin ''Scapin the Schemer'' (french: Les Fourberies de Scapin) is a three-act comedy of intrigue by the French playwright Molière. The title character Scapin is similar to the archetypical Scapino character. The play was first staged on 24 May 1671 i ...

'' (1922), ''Le Monde où l’on s’ennuie'' (1937), ''Chacun sa vérité'' (1937), ''

La Dispute :''This is for the Marivaux play, for the band, see La Dispute (band).'' ''La Dispute'' is a prose comedy written by Pierre de Marivaux, shown for the first time on 19 October 1744 by the Théâtre-Italien in the Hôtel de Bourgogne. The story i ...

'' (1938), ''La reine morte'' (1942), and ''

Tartuffe ''Tartuffe, or The Impostor, or The Hypocrite'' (; french: Tartuffe, ou l'Imposteur, ), first performed in 1664, is a theatrical comedy by Molière. The characters of Tartuffe, Elmire, and Orgon are considered among the greatest classical thea ...

'' (1949), among other plays. In 1922, she was part of the tercentenary celebrations for

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 ...

at the Comédie-Française. Faber also appeared in 18 silent films made in France, including ''L'Âme du violon'' (1911), ''Miss Rovel'' (1921), and ''L'Écuyère'' (1922), and five ''

Fantômas Fantômas () is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914). One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appeared ...

'' films as "Princess Sonia Danidoff", in 1913 and 1914. She made a few sound pictures in French, later in her career, the last being ''

L'Affaire Maurizius ''On Trial'' (French: ''L'Affaire Maurizius''; Italian: ''Il caso Mauritius'') is a 1954 French- Italian drama film directed by Julien Duvivier and starring Daniel Gélin, Madeleine Robinson and Anton Walbrook. It was based on a 1928 novel by Ja ...

'' (1954, known as ''The Maurizius Affair'' or ''On Trial'' in English). Faber was considered fashionable in the 1910s, and her gowns were featured and described in periodicals and newspapers as exemplary of the latest Paris styles. In 1915, she,

Cécile Sorel Céline Émilie Seurre (7 September 1873 in Paris – 3 September 1966 in Trouville-sur-Mer), known as Cécile Sorel or the Comtesse de Ségur by marriage, was a French comic actress. She enjoyed great popularity and was known for her extravagant ...

and

Marcelle Lender Marcelle Lender (1862 – 27 September 1926) was a French singer, dancer and entertainer made famous in paintings by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.Brocklehurst, Hannah & Foule, Frances (2018), ''Toulouse-Lautrec & the Art of Celebrity'', Na ...

held a charity bazaar, selling cake and champagne at a Paris hotel for war relief.

Personal life

Faber married the French naval officer

Gabriel Auguste Ferdinand Ducuing Commandant Gabriel Auguste Ferdinand Ducuing (22 December 1885 – 25 May 1940) was an officer in the French Navy of the First and Second World Wars. Life Early life He was the son of a second cousin of Ferdinand Foch. Aiming for the merch ...

, who died in 1940. She died in 1968, aged 87 years, at Clichy-la-Garenne in France. Her gravesite is in Pére Lachaise cemetery in Paris.

References

External links

*
Photograph of Jane Faber
in the Billy Rose Theatre Collection, New York Public Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Faber, Jane 1880 births 1968 deaths People from Ixelles Belgian actresses Comédie-Française French silent film actresses