Bellerose or Belle-Rose (1592 – 1670) was the stage name of the French

actor-manager An actor-manager is a leading actor who sets up their own permanent theatrical company and manages the business, sometimes taking over a theatre to perform select plays in which they usually star. It is a method of theatrical production used co ...

Pierre le Messier. He was one of the leading

tragedians Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy ...

of the first half of the 17th century.Forman 2010, p. 47.Roy 1995 He apprenticed with Valleran le Conte in 1609, performed in

Bourges Bourges () is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre. It is the capital of the department of Cher, and also was the capital city of the former province of Berry. History The name of the commune derives either from the Bituriges, t ...

in 1619, and directed his own company 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 ...

in 1620, but little else is known about his early career. He joined the Comédiens du Roi under Gros-Guillaume at the Hôtel de Bourgogne in 1622. He had a fine speaking voice and performed leading parts in

comedies Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

and tragedies, and also acted as the 'orator', the member of the company who formally addressed the audience. Some contemporaries regarded Bellerose as "insipid and affected" and preferred his arch-rival, the more aggressive

Montdory Montdory, pseudonym of Guillaume des Gilberts (baptized 13 March 1594; died between 17 November 1653 and 14 November 1654), was a French actor manager, recognized as "the most powerful tragedian of his day."Roy 1995. Birth, family, and name Mont ...

at the

Théâtre du Marais The Théâtre du Marais has been the name of several theatres and theatrical troupes in Paris, France. The original and most famous theatre of the name operated in the 17th century. The name was briefly revived for a revolutionary theatre in 1791, ...

. After Gros-Guillaume's death in 1634, Bellerose became the leader of the Comédiens du Roi at the Bourgogne and remained in that position until 1647, when he is thought to have sold his interest in the company for a very high price to his brother-in-law

Floridor Josias de Soûlas, known as "Floridor", Sieur de Prinefosse (c.1608-14 August 1671) was a French actor.J. Fransen, Les Comédiens français en Hollande au XVII* et au XVIII «siècle. Paris, librairie Honoré Champion, 4925. JSTOR "Mais ce que l'on ...

. He was married to

Mademoiselle Bellerose Nicole Gassot, known under her stage name Mademoiselle Bellerose (1605 – 1679), was a French stage actress. She was the daughter of the actor Jean Gassot, stage name La Fortune. She and her father were members of the same theatre company ...

Notes

Bibliography

* Forman, Edward (2010). ''Historical Dictionary of French Theater''. Lanham: The Scarecrow Press. . * Roy, Donald (1995). "Bellerose", p. 92, in ''The Cambridge Guide to the Theatre'', edited by Martin Banham. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. .

External links

WorldCat identities
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bellerose 17th-century French male actors French male stage actors 1592 births 1670 deaths 17th-century theatre managers