Marie Francoise Rose Gourgaud-Dugason (Mme Vestris)

Françoise-Rose Gourgaud (7 April 1743, in

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

– 5 October 1804, in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

), stage name Madame Vestris, was a French actress. She was the sister of Pierre-Antoine Gourgaud, stage name Dugazon. She married the ballet-dancer

Angiolo Vestris Angiolo Maria Gasparo Vestris (19 November 1730, Florence - 10 June 1809, Paris) was a Franco-Italian ballet dancer. The younger brother of Gaétan Vestris and Thérèse Vestris, he studied dance with Louis Dupré (dancer), Louis Dupré and becam ...

(younger brother of

Gaétan Vestris Gaetano Apolline Baldassarre Vestris (18 April 1729 – 1808), French ballet dancer, was born in Florence and made his debut at the opera in 1749. Life Born of an Italian theatrical family, he studied dance with Louis Dupré at the Royal Acad ...

).Karl Mantzius: A History of Theatrical Art in Ancient and Modern Times. 1970 She was engaged 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 ...

in 1768. She became a

Sociétaires of the Comédie-Française The sociétaires of the Comédie-Française are chosen from among the ''pensionnaires'' who have been in the company a year or more. They are decided upon in the course of a general assembly of the company's administrative committee, made up of 6 e ...

in 1769. She is most known for her roles in tragedy and higher comedy. She was described as highly talented, but also as ambitiously ruthless, as she was involved in a well known rivalry with the Saint-Val sisters ( Blanche Alziari de Roquefort and

Pauline Alziari de Roquefort Pauline Alziari de Roquefort (1747–1830), stage name Mademoiselle Saint-Val aînée , was a French stage actress.Émile Campardon, Les Comédiens du roi de la troupe française pendant les deux derniers siècles, Paris, H. Champion, 1879 She was ...

). Her career was protected by the

Duc de Choiseul {{Unreferenced, date=April 2019 Choiseul is an illustrious noble family from Champagne, France, descendants of the comtes of Langres. The family's head was Renaud III de Choiseul, comte de Langres and sire de Choiseul, who in 1182 married Alix ...

and the Duc de Duras. She achieved great success, and was a privileged member of the theatre. During the

French revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

, she joined the republican fraction in the Théâtre de la République in 1791. After this, she was engaged at the

Théâtre Feydeau The Théâtre Feydeau (), a former Parisian theatre company, was founded in 1789 with the patronage of Monsieur, Comte de Provence (later to become Louis XVIII), and was therefore initially named the Théâtre de Monsieur. It began performing in t ...

until she was returned to the Comédie-Française when it was re-founded in 1799. She retired in 1803.

References

External links

"VESTRIS Françoise-Marie-Rosette Gourgaud, dite Mme"
Base La Grange, Comédie-Française * https://www.comedie-francaise.fr/en/artist/mme-vestris 1743 births 1804 deaths French stage actresses Actresses from Marseille 18th-century French actresses Vestris family {{France-actor-stub