Céline Émilie Seurre (7 September 1873 in Paris – 3 September 1966 in

Trouville-sur-Mer Trouville-sur-Mer (, literally ''Trouville on Sea''), commonly referred to as Trouville, is a city of 4,603 inhabitants in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. Trouville-sur-Mer borders Deauville across the ...

), known as Cécile Sorel or the Comtesse de Ségur by marriage, was a French comic actress. She enjoyed great popularity and was known for her extravagant costumes.

Biography

Sorel was attracted to the theater at an early age, studying with Louis-Arsène Delaunay and Marie Favart. In 1899, she began her career at the Odéon and then, in 1901, became a member of 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 ...

, where she specialized in playing a

stock character A stock character, also known as a character archetype, is a type of character in a narrative (e.g. a novel, play, television show, or film) whom audiences recognize across many narratives or as part of a storytelling tradition or convention. Th ...

known as the "grande coquette". She was especially well known for her portrayal of Célimène in ''

The Misanthrope ''The Misanthrope, or the Cantankerous Lover'' (; ) is a 17th-century comedy of manners in verse written by Molière. It was first performed on 4 June 1666 at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal (rue Saint-Honoré), Théâtre du Palais-Royal, Paris by ...

''. In 1904, she became the 339th " Sociétaire de la Comédie-Française" and remained with the theater until 1933. She was implicated by rumour in the death (allegedly following sexual activity) of the

President of the Republic The President of the Republic is a title used for heads of state and/or heads of government in countries having republican form of government. Designation In most cases the president of a republic is elected, either: * by direct universal s ...

Felix Faure Felix may refer to: * Felix (name), people and fictional characters with the name Places * Arabia Felix is the ancient Latin name of Yemen * Felix, Spain, a municipality of the province Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, ...

in February 1899, although the woman was more widely believed to be Faure's mistress,

Marguerite Steinheil Marguerite Jeanne "Meg" Japy Steinheil, Baroness Abinger (16 April 1869 – 17 July 1954) was a French woman known for her many love affairs with important men. She was present at the death of President Félix Faure, who was rumoured to have ...

, Although long engaged to Whitney Warren, an American architect who was related to the

Vanderbilts The Vanderbilt family is an American family who gained prominence during the Gilded Age. Their success began with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and the family expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthr ...

, she eventually married the Comte de Ségur-Lamoignon, great grandson of the famous Comtesse de Ségur, who acted under the name

Guillaume de Sax Guillaume de Sax (1889–1945) was a Belgian actor. De Sax was born Guillaume Henri Robert de Segur Lamoignon in Belgium and died in France. He was married to the actress Cécile Sorel. Partial filmography * '' Ernest the Rebel'' (1938) * '' Thr ...

. They were sometimes mocked as "beauty and the beast" and were separated after fifteen years, but she kept the title of "Comtesse" for the rest of her life. In 1909, she had the starring role in ''

La Tosca ''La Tosca'' is a five-Act (drama), act drama by the Nineteenth-century theatre, 19th-century Theatre of France, French playwright Victorien Sardou. It was first performed on 24 November 1887 at the Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin in Paris, wi ...

'', a film by

André Calmettes André Calmettes (1861–1942) was a French actor and film director. Biography After being a theatre actor for twenty years, he joined the society ', founded in 1908 by the novelist and editor, at the urging of the Sociétaires of the Comédie- ...

and Charles Le Bargy. Her next film role did not come until 1937, when she played an aged courtesan in ''

The Pearls of the Crown ''The Pearls of the Crown'' () is a 1937 French comedy film of historically based fiction by Sacha Guitry who plays four roles in it (many of the other performers play multiple roles, as well). Guitry's Jean Martin investigates the history of s ...

'' by

Sacha Guitry Alexandre-Pierre Georges "Sacha" Guitry (; 21 February 188524 July 1957) was a French stage actor, film actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright of the boulevard theatre (aesthetic), boulevard theatre. He was the son of a leading French ac ...

. Four years later, she essentially played herself in a sketch comedy called ''Les Petits riens'', written by and starring

Yves Mirande Yves Mirande (Bagneux (8 May 1876 – 17 March 1957) was a French screenwriter, director, actor, and producer. Career Yves Mirande began his acting career in the theater, transitioning to movies in the silent era. Filmography * ''She Wolves'' ...

. In 1944, she barely escaped the bombing that destroyed the Théâtre-Français in

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...

. Cecile Sorel by François Flameng c. 1903 In 1950, she underwent a "conversion" and, following the lead of the original Comtesse de Ségur, took her vows as a Third-order Franciscan. She adopted the name "Soeur Cécile de l'Enfant-Jésus" and devoted her time to writing. A television documentary of her career was produced in 1965. She died, four days before her 93rd birthday, of complications from a fractured hip, suffered in a fall at her rented château on the French coast, and was buried in the

Cimetière du Montparnasse Montparnasse Cemetery () is a cemetery in the Montparnasse quarter of Paris, in the city's 14th arrondissement. The cemetery is roughly 47 acres and is the second largest cemetery in Paris. The cemetery has over 35,000 graves, and approximately 1 ...

. She was painted by

François Flameng François Léopold Flameng (1856–1923) was a notable French painter during the last quarter of the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th. He was the son of Léopold Flameng, a celebrated printmaker, and received a first-rate education ...

and her likeness appears in a

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

by Charles Hoffbauer on the ceiling of the

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...

at the Château d'Artigny in

Montbazon Montbazon () is a Communes of France, commune in the Indre-et-Loire Departments of France, department, France. It is located on the river Indre (river), Indre between the towns of Veigné, Monts and Sorigny. The town is about 12 km from Tour ...

, once owned by

François Coty François Coty (; born Joseph Marie François Spoturno ; 3 May 1874 – 25 July 1934) was a French perfumer, businessman, newspaper publisher, politician and patron of the arts. He was the founder of the Coty, Coty perfume company, today a multin ...

. A college in the town of

Mériel Mériel () is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department and Île-de-France region of France. Mériel station has rail connections to Persan, Saint-Leu-la-Forêt and Paris. Population Notable residents * Jean Gabin, actor (1904–1976). Gabin sp ...

is named after her.

References

External links

"Hommage à Célimène (Cécile Sorel)"
a video narrated by Béatrix Dussane from the Institut national de l'audiovisuel (INA).
"Comtesse de Ségur"
a video by Henry Magnan and Yannick Bellon from the INA.
Documents related to Cécile Sorel
@ Gallica. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sorel, Cecile 1873 births 1966 deaths French stage actresses French film actresses French silent film actresses 20th-century French actresses Comédie-Française Sociétaires of the Comédie-Française Burials at Montparnasse Cemetery Actresses from Paris Deaths from falls Secular Franciscans

Biography

References

Further reading

External links