François Le Noir, sieur de La Thorillière (c. 1626 – 27 July 1680) was a French comic actor, who was born and died in Paris.Mongrédien 1972, p. 107.

Life

La Thorillière was the son of

Charles Le Noir Charles Le Noir or Lenoir (; first active 1618; died 9 August 1637) was a French actor-manager, who was a member of the troupe of the Prince of Orange from at least 1622, sometimes named as a co-founder with the actor Montdory of the Théâtre ...

, founder of 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 1 ...

in 1634, and the actor Isabelle Mestivier. After serving as a captain in the Lorraine Regiment, he married the 21-year-old Marie Petitjean on 30 April 1658. She was the niece of La Rocque, an actor at the Marais, and François joined the Marais company in 1659. In June 1662, he and Brécourt moved to

Molière's company Molière's company (''La Troupe de Molière'') was the theatrical company which formed around Molière from 1648 onwards, when he was performing in the French provinces after the failure of the Illustre Théâtre in 1645. In 1658 the company move ...

, where La Thorillière acted in several of Molière's plays, most notably as a sad marquis in ''L'Impromptu de Versailles'' (1663) and as Hali in ''Le Sicilien'' (1667). He was also for a time in charge of the accounts for Molière's company. His first register (1663–1664) was published by George Monval in 1890; the second (1664–1665) is preserved in the Archives 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 ...

. He wrote the play ''Cléopâtre'', premiered at the

Palais-Royal The Palais-Royal () is a former French royal palace located on Rue Saint-Honoré in the 1st arrondissement of Paris. The screened entrance court faces the Place du Palais-Royal, opposite the Louvre Palace, Louvre. Originally called the Palais-Ca ...

in December 1667 and put on eleven times. On 17 January 1671 he played the King in the premiere of the comédie-ballet ''

Psyché Psyche (''Psyché'' in French) is the Greek term for "soul" ( ψυχή). Psyche or La Psyché may also refer to: Psychology * Psyche (psychology), the totality of the human mind, conscious and unconscious * ''Psyche'', an 1846 book about the unc ...

'', with text and lyrics by Molière,

Philippe Quinault Philippe Quinault (; 3 June 1635 – 26 November 1688) was a French dramatist and librettist. Biography Quinault was born in Paris. He was educated by the liberality of François Tristan l'Hermite, the author of ''Marianne''. Quinault's fi ...

and

Pierre Corneille Pierre Corneille (; ; 6 June 1606 – 1 October 1684) was a French tragedian. He is generally considered one of the three great 17th-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine. As a young man, he earned the valuable patronage ...

and music by

Jean-Baptiste Lully Jean-Baptiste Lully ( – 22 March 1687) was a French composer, dancer and instrumentalist of Italian birth, who is considered a master of the French Baroque music style. Best known for his operas, he spent most of his life working in the court o ...

. After Molière's death in 1673, La Thorillière (along with Michel Baron and Beauval and his wife) left that troupe and joined the Comédiens du Roi at the Hôtel de Bourgogne. It was La Thorillière's death in 1680 that, among other reasons, precipitated the merger of the players from the Bourgogne with those at the Guénégaud Theatre, leading to the creation of the Comédie-Française. Some scholars have suggested he had been opposed to any merger since 1673, possibly due to animosity or rivalry between La Thorillière and La Grange, the orator of that troupe. His son Pierre (1659–1731), also known as La Thorillière, became a sociétaire of the Comédie-Française. His daughter Charlotte (born 1661) married Michel Baron in 1675, whilst his daughter Marie-Thérèse (born 1663) married the playwright Dancourt in 1680.Mongrédien 1972, p. 107; Gaines 2002, p. 258.

Notes

Bibliography

* Clarke, Jan (1998). ''The Guénégaud Theatre in Paris (1673–1680). Volume One: Founding, Design and Production''. Lewiston, New York: The Edwin Mellen Press. . * Deierkauf-Holsboer, S. Wilma (1958). ''Le Théâtre du Marais: II. Le berceau de l'Opéra et de la Comédie-Française, 1648–1673''. Paris: Librairie Nizet. . * Deierkauf-Holsboer, S. Wilma (1970). ''Le théâtre de l'Hôtel de Bourgogne. II. Le théâtre de la troupe royale, 1635–1680''. Paris: A.-G. Nizet. . * Gaines, James F. (2002). ''The Molière Encyclopedia''. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. . * Hartnoll, Phyllis, editor (1983). ''The Oxford Companion to the Theatre'', fourth edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p
474
. * Howarth, William D., editor (1997). ''French Theatre in the Neo-Classical Era 1550–1789''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (digital reprint, 2008). * La Thorillière, François Le Noir de (1890). ''Premier registre de La Thorillière (1663-1664)'', notice, notes et index de . Paris: Librairie des Bibliophiles.
Copy
at Google Books. * Mongrédien, Georges (1972).
Dictionnaire biographique des comédiens français du XVIIe siècle
', second edition. Paris: Centre national de la recherche scientifique. . {{DEFAULTSORT:La Thorilliere, Francois category:1620s births category:1680 deaths 17th-century French male actors French male stage actors