New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-06-18
FAMOUS PARIS ACTORS.
PAST AND PRESENT INMATES OF THE
HOUSE OF NOLIERE

| company in London Is now feature Of each
years dramatic season But its character changes
| from year to year. Since 1879 all changed
| save one. That one il the veteran Got. The
rest are all new. The elder Coquelin, for exam-
| Pile, Is now wandering star of the first m1gni-
| tude, whercsoevcr his eccentric orbit may take
| him. Sarah Bcrnhardt, too. No longer belongs
to the House Of Moliere. Deannay the match
cssly elegant, has gone into permanent retire
nent. Mile Croizette is now Madame, in quito
the grand style. Madeleine Brohan is gone, and
| Favart and Samary.
| 1t is fitting that NJ Got, the 6oyen Of the COM
pany should still tread the boards. lie always has
| had a certain ruggedncss both Of boly and mind,
| that makes one think Of an oak tree that would
survive the storms OF centuries. This trait has
made him sometimes stubborn, TO his disa'lvan-
tage For example, Wien IL Ioi .s'Amuse' was
| FIRST put on, Victor Hugo wanted the elder Coque-
lin to play the part of the daformed jester, Tri-
boulet. But NJ. Got, being the doyen Of the COM
pany, insisted on playing it and hardly made
success of it. NJ. Got looks for all the world like
priest and once was nearly Killed because Of
that fact II under the Commune, when they
were killing all the priests they conld find. They
captured NJ Got and leading him without
trial TO the place of execution. 49,
| "Why are you going to kill me?" he asked.
"You are a priest, they replied.
| But, no. I am actor. ! am Got. Of the
| Coincide Francaise.'
"Bah! That's too thin they answered you
can't fool Ms. You're priest
| NO Pm not. Sec! Let me show you"
And forthwith he struck an attitude and began
decaming one of his best known parts. The
soldiers gazcd on him in admiration and were
convinced. But as they released him, with many
apologies one Of them said
| Better let your whiskers grow. VI. Got. It's
not safe even to look so much like prest!'
| W. Got, by the way was himself soldier, and
served for p year or two in Algeria, in the Chas-
sours d'Afri1ue, under Sergeant Gerard the IA
nous lion killer That was before he took to the
stage.
The idea of Got as a Chasscar d'AfriGue il no
more grotes1ae, however, than that OF sophie
Croizette as a school teacher. Yet she came near
being one and Of settling down in that calling
for life There never was "A more charming create
IRE on the stage than she was. half Russian ana
half French she combined the best traits OF both
races She was Cossack enough 10 eat raw meat
and candles She was the most daring horse
woman in France She drank spirits Of pepper
mint-an exclusively Russian taste. And she
was 81 absent-mindcd that she would get into her
bath with her boots on! Witha. she was super
stitious and credited all the good fortune OF her
|
| life 70 the fact that she once picked up horse
| .boo, Whom she first entered the Theatre Fran
Gals company she was not well received by the
others They piled her with annoyances; " all
the % she merely shrugged her plump shoulders
and kent silence. After time her amiaolil'y
made her a great favorite with all except Sarah
| Rernhardt The latter has probably never 10Y
| given her for certain creenroom episode. ,r"l'
| zette was "a plump Bernbardt was lean. Weii'
| after rehearsal day Berniarit SAID In Oroi'
zettes hearing:
THAT poor Sophie She cannot act ONO
docs not know the boards"
Quick as fash Crozctte replied
All. the Divine Sarah. How superbly she
can act She is all boards
Croizette married years ago banker VINO ~
many times a millionaire, and retired forthwith
from the stage Indeed, she left Paris ITSELF as
do nearly all actors and actresses who retire In
good circumstances.
Mile Reichcmberg, whose absence from the
comnany is also noticed, was protege of Susanna
Brohan. who practically adopted her AMI taushe
her the art of acting. No one ca, forget hct
debut when she was only htteen All 9'T y.
youth" wrote VI. Sarcey, "hoats roIho ~" el
And two years later she was IN the company VI
the Coincide trancalse.
The bright particular star of the Ih ssn,e
Francois company at the present llile i ~; III.
| Iniio Rortet. whose history has been an inter,
ostng one Her origin was humble, her wld2 T
mother being wretchedly poor blt M, p, w.,
the mother was an ola irien no 81 ar and
and that accomplished actor us"n 10 give llr ar5
| the child tickets for the Theatre Francois anu
encouraged jules dramatic ambition me t ,h.
was finally admitted 70 the Nonsrr'ao or lining
,at mon France The events Of the war, the
siege and the Commune, however, quicKene@ a'ut
strengthened her dramatic power ard she has now
upon =. .' tho Very foremost rank Two things dis
tingush her in private life from all Other m sha
actresses One Is th'' an, ,9u makes no display Of
lives aonds "r other costly jewels The second Is
that she has never allowed her photographs -
put on sale in the shops or eisewi'r''
But when one speaks of the Comed,c pan w,s
ono thinks of Coquclin, the elder. NO I In M
"no ltd bv his comrades - much as ne; y w
"nor ia miss,d hv the public so mich as h. et-
ever sir is the head OF the ,, ."1 coomen played
,, S. thn leading part in the play. lie dominance
thn whole stage His spirits were linta,i .Gs in,
inowtens' any other member Of the cast. TO
SIAM - pIi mSs or action cover break, OF
20 go behind the scenes and play the part Vi S'"S'
carpenter. harm AZ Boulorne-sur-Mer. the
go, W. - - baker In his boyhood he became pos
snssed of an irresistible desire TO :" o sSoders
lie was .''i l;,rs and was always reciting poetry
and dncaiming bits Of tragedy ana "o,l,rS ~ ths
neghbcr brother of pohcnafu, 'r rof"ssor ~ the
opera NolIIl"., ,', him letter of Introduction ~
TonsGrv"' ors If III, most famous actors Of me
wIo ca1 to s the c 1hsa5 FF'n'' So
ana WAS pr ,nr PARIS He was then eighteen
and !" I"a' half years old. lie went immediately 70
| Regnfcr I'll .J L.vo not come up
NJ, " - vayptato: wish to be one OF thge
E r1r # not to the r in pofess'%H hack 10
cannot accomplish that, Of FT nT daily al 30 Sr'ad
HonOsns where ma a~ struck snc by the lads eanes-
and r@ qnic,y TsmsTkr m; w sonsrh n O of yoa
mere o" IN now determined 70 go TO the e>d Knit
n,tiop for admission into the Cons'rvaf9nn An.
he came within nm ace OF not ra,slhg; ,ho nry OF