René Auguste Cresté (5 December 1881 – 30 November 1922) was a French stage and film actor and director of the

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

era. Cresté is possibly best recalled as

Judex Judex (real name Jacques de Trémeuse) is a fictional French vigilante hero created by Louis Feuillade and Arthur Bernède for the 1916 silent film ''Judex''. Judex (whose name is Latin for "judge") is a mysterious avenger who dresses in black and ...

, the title character in the

Louis Feuillade Louis Feuillade (; 19 February 1873 – 25 February 1925) was a French filmmaker of the silent era. Between 1906 and 1924, he directed over 630 films. He is primarily known for the crime serials ''Fantômas'', ''Les Vampires'' and ''Judex'' ...

-directed crime-adventure serial ''

'', which ran in twelve installments in theaters from 1917 until 1918.Cool French Comics: ''Judex''
/ref>

Early life and career

René Auguste Cresté was born in the

19th arrondissement of Paris The 19th arrondissement of Paris (''XIXe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as ''dix-neuvième''. The arrondissement, known as Butte-Chaumont, ...

. He began his acting career on the stages of Paris in distinguished theatrical roles in plays such as ''Claudine à Paris'' (''Claudine in Paris''), written by and performed alongside

Colette Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (; 28 January 1873 – 3 August 1954), known mononymously as Colette, was a French author and woman of letters. She was also a mime, actress, and journalist. Colette is best known in the English-speaking world for her ...

, ''Ruy Blas'' by

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 ...

and ''Adrienne Lecouvreur'' by

Eugene Scribe Eugene may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Eugene (actress) (born 1981), Kim Yoo-jin, South Korean actress and former member of the sin ...

.Cineartistes
/ref>

''Judex''

René Cresté was signed to a contract to the

Gaumont Film Company The Gaumont Film Company (, ), often shortened to Gaumont, is a French film studio headquartered in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. Founded by the engineer-turned-inventor Léon Gaumont (1864–1946) in 1895, it is the oldest extant film company in ...

in 1908. Little is known of his first film appearances as they are considered lost. In 1912 he began appearing in a series of mystery shorts directed by

Léonce Perret Léonce Joseph Perret (14 March 1880 – 12 August 1935) was a prolific and innovative French film actor, director and producer.The Museum of Modern Art(retrieved 7 June 2007) He also worked as a stage actor and director. Often described as avant ...

. He then began appearing in a number of films directed by Louis Feuillade for Gaumont studios. At the onset of the First World War, Cresté enlisted in the French army and actively participated in the fighting. Injured and demobilized, he resumed his acting career at Gaumont studios by the end of 1915. In 1916, Feuillade and writer

Arthur Bernède Arthur Bernède (5 January 1871 – 20 March 1937) was a French writer, poet, opera librettist, and playwright. Bernède was born in Redon, Ille-et-Vilaine department, in Brittany. In 1919, Bernède joined forces with actor René Navarre, who ...

began to develop a surrealistic character called 'Jacques de Tremeuse' (aka '

') – a mysterious avenger who sports a signature long dark cloak and wide-brimmed slouch hat. The character's nemesis was the callous banker Favraux, who had carelessly driven thousands of people into bankruptcy. The character of Judex is widely recognized as one of cinema's first

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

es. René Cresté was eventually cast as 'Judex' and the serial began production in 1917 and was released the same year in its first installment to critical and public praise.1917 Oscar Chronicle
/ref> The serial also starred

Musidora Jeanne Roques (23 February 1889 – 11 December 1957), known professionally as Musidora, was a French actress, film director, and writer. She is best known for her acting in silent films, and rose to public attention for roles in the Louis ...

Édouard Mathé Édouard Mathé (1886–1934) was a French silent film actor. He starred in some 51 films between 1914 and 1924. Mathe appeared ''Barabbas'' in 1920. He regularly appeared in films directed by Louis Feuillade, such as the 1915 ''Les Vampires'' ...

Gaston Michel Gaston Michel (1856 – November 1921) was a French silent film actor. He starred in some 40 films between 1913 and his death in 1921. He died in November 1921, in Lisbon, Portugal. Selected filmography * ''Les Vampires'' (1915) * ''Judex ...

, René Poyen,

Yvette Andréyor Yvette Andréyor (born Yvette Louise Pauline Royé, 6 August 1891 – 30 October 1962) was a French actress most popular in the era of silent film. She appeared in more than 100 films between 1910 and 1962. Biography Yvette Louise Pauline R ...

and Yvonne Dario. Following the success of ''Judex'', Cresté appeared in the 1918 serial ''

Tih Minh ''Tih Minh'' is a 1918 French film serial directed by Louis Feuillade. Plot ''Tih Minh'' tells the story of Jacques d'Athys who returns to his home in Nice after an expedition to Indochina. Tih Minh (Mary Harald), a young woman from Laos, acco ...

'', directed by Feuillade, then founded his own film production company, Films-René-Cresté, for which he produced and directed several ultimately unsuccessful films.

Death

René Cresté died in 1922 of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

and was buried at

Montmartre Cemetery The Cemetery of Montmartre (french: link=no, Cimetière de Montmartre) is a cemetery in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, France, that dates to the early 19th century. Officially known as the Cimetière du Nord, it is the third largest necropolis ...

in Paris. To support the financial needs of his widow and infirmed daughter, a charity gala was organized by friends of the Cresté family in February 1929. Three months following the event, his only daughter Renée died and was buried next to her father.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Creste, Rene 1881 births 1922 deaths French male film actors French male silent film actors French male stage actors French film directors Male actors from Paris French military personnel of World War I Tuberculosis deaths in France Burials at Montmartre Cemetery 20th-century French male actors 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis