Paris was a slave of

Domitia Lepida Minor Domitia Lepida (c. 5 BC – AD 54) was a Roman aristocrat, related to the imperial family. She was mother of Valeria Messalina, wife of the Emperor Claudius. Lepida was a beautiful and influential figure. Like her sister, she was also very wealth ...

who became wealthy enough to buy his freedom from her, adding her

praenomen The ''praenomen'' (; plural: ''praenomina'') was a personal name chosen by the parents of a Roman child. It was first bestowed on the ''dies lustricus'' (day of lustration), the eighth day after the birth of a girl, or the ninth day after the bi ...

and

cognomen A ''cognomen'' (; plural ''cognomina''; from ''con-'' "together with" and ''(g)nomen'' "name") was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. Initially, it was a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became here ...

to his own name to make his citizen name Lucius Domitius Paris. In return, she influenced him via Atimetus (another of her freedmen) to use his favour with

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...

himself to convince him of her fabrication that his influential and popular mother Agrippina was plotting to depose him. However, Paris stood so high in the theatre-loving Nero's favour that, even when the plot failed, he alone among the conspirators was not punished and was even declared freeborn (''ingenuus'') by the emperor soon afterwards, forcing Domitia to hand back the sum she had accepted to free him. However, Nero later saw Paris as a rival actor to himself, and in AD 67, displeased that Paris had refused to teach him the art of miming, had him put to death.Dio, 63.18
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Smith
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paris, Lucius Domitius Emperor's slaves and freedmen Ancient Roman actors 1st-century Romans 67 deaths Year of birth unknown