Mounet-Sully (28 February 1841 – 3 March 1916), a French

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

, was born at Bergerac. His birth name was Jean-Sully Mounet: "Mounet-Sully" (without the "Jean") was a stage name.

Life

He entered the

Conservatoire A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...

at the age of twenty-one, where he took first prize for tragedy. In 1868 he made his debut at the Odéon without attracting much attention. His career was interrupted by the Franco-Prussian War, and his passion for his military career had almost convinced him to give up the stage, until he was offered the opportunity to play the part of Oreste in

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 ...

's ''Andromaque'' at the Comédie Française in 1872. His striking presence and voice and the passionate vigor of his acting made an immediate impression, which resulted in his election as ''sociétaire'' in 1874. He became one of the mainstays of the Comédie Française, and distinguished himself in a great variety of tragic and romantic parts. Perhaps his most famous role was that of

Oedipus Oedipus (, ; grc-gre, Οἰδίπους "swollen foot") was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. A tragic hero in Greek mythology, Oedipus accidentally fulfilled a prophecy that he would end up killing his father and marrying his mother, thereby ...

in ''L'Oedipe roi'', a French version by Jules Lacroix of

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 co ...

's drama. This was first performed in Paris at the Théâtre-Français in 1881 and later revived in the old Roman amphitheater at Orange in 1888. Fashion designer Paul Poiret commented in his autobiography ''King of Fashion'', "I shall always see Mounet-Sully in ''Oedipus Rex'', blind, coming down the steps of the temple, and saying in a suave voice: 'Children of ancient Cadmus, young successors. . .' Other prominent parts in Mounet-Sully's repertoire were Achilles in Racine's '' Iphigenie et Aulide'', Hippolyte in ''Phèdre'', the titular part of

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

, the title parts in

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 ...

's '' Hernani'' and ''

Ruy Blas ''Ruy Blas'' is a tragic drama by Victor Hugo. It was the first play presented at the Théâtre de la Renaissance and opened on November 8, 1838. Though considered by many to be Hugo’s best drama, the play was initially met with only average ...

'', Francis I in ''

Le roi s'amuse ''Le roi s'amuse'' (; literally, ''The King Amuses Himself'' or ''The King Has Fun'') is a French play in five acts written by Victor Hugo. First performed on 22 November 1832 but banned by the government after one evening, the play was used for G ...

'', and Didier in ''

Marion Delorme Marion Delorme (3 October 1613 – 2 July 1650) was a French courtesan known for her relationships with the important men of her time. Biography She was the daughter of Jean de Lou, sieur de l'Orme, president of the treasurers of France in Ch ...

''. He was made chevalier of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

in 1889. He also wrote a play, ''La Buveuse de l'armes'', and in 1906, in collaboration with

Pierre Barbier Pierre Barbier (born 25 September 1997 in Beauvais) is a French professional road cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Continental Team . He is the younger brother of the cyclist Rudy Barbier. Major results ;2014 : 10th Gent–Menen ;2015 : 10 ...

, ''La Vieillesse de Don Juan'' in verse. He was the brother of the actor Paul Mounet. His daughter was the actress Jeanne Sully. He was a good friend, co-performer, and one-time lover of famed actress

Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 or 23 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including '' La Dame Aux Camel ...

Gallery

Image:Mounet-Sully by Georges Lafosse.jpg, Mounet-Sully by Georges Lafosse from ''Le Trombinoscope'' Image:Actor Mounet-Sully as Oedipus.png, Mounet-Sully as Oedipus Image:Actor Mounet-Sully in an unknown role.png, Mounet-Sully in an unknown role, c 1896

References

;Attribution *

Sources

*''Madame Sarah'': By Cornelia Otis Skinner 1966 *"King of Fashion, The Autobiography of Paul Poiret", J. B. Lippincott Company, 1931, ; V&A Publishing, 2009, p. 7

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mounet-Sully 1841 births 1916 deaths People from Bergerac, Dordogne French male stage actors Sociétaires of the Comédie-Française 19th-century French male actors French military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War Burials at Montparnasse Cemetery Articles containing video clips