François-Joseph Talma

François-Joseph Talma (Paris, January 15th 1763 - † October 19th 1826) was the Acteur the French most prestigious of its time, following in that Lekain.

In 1776, it goes to England to find his/her father who became dentist in London. But its future will be rather influenced by the discovery of the Théâtre élisabéthain that by the paternal trade. In England, he plays as an amateur. Returned to France, in 1785, it is established a time dentist.

With the foundation of the Royal School of Declamation in 1786, Talma registered there giving up dentistry. It begins with the Comédie-Française in 1787, it plays Brutus and there the Death of César of Voltaire. It creates Charles IX Marie-Joseph Chénier, it is an immense public success, but the Church makes prohibit the part with the 33e representation. The July 21st 1790, the part is played in spite of prohibition. The troop of the Comédie-Française then divides between the revolutionary and the other members who refuse to play with Talma. It engages more and more politically, does not have great affinities with Robespierre but binds friendship with a young soldier: Bonaparte… It is excluded from the Comedy-French in 1791 and will take refuge in a new theater street Richelieu. The room takes quickly the name of Théâtre of the Republic , and when the “actors of the Com3edie fran1caise” are imprisoned in September 1793, one shows Talma to have plotted against his former partners.

It is reinstated within the Comédie-Française in 1799 and becomes officially “the preferred actor of Napoleon”, in particular thanks to his play in the part of Corneille Cinna , which the Emperor admired enormously. In 1799, the Theater of the street Richelieu becomes the only room of the Th3e4atre Fran1cais. First representation of its reopening: Cid , with Talma in the role of Rodrigue. In 1806 it is named professor with the Conservatoire. In 1812 it has a connection with the princess Pauline Bonaparte.

Criticisms are unanimous on its immense talent. Talma also innovates in the field of the costumes, by incarnating Proculus for example (in Brutus of Voltaire), it gets dressed as a Roman: Toge, Cothurne S “of time” and what shocks especially: naked arms and legs! He proposes to play the characters vêtus according to their time, and not according to the contemporary fashion. He entirely reforms the spirit of the costumes with the councils of the painter David. Pioneer of an esthetic revolution, it adapts the political revolution to his theatrical ideas. He appears in scene without wig, without déclamer the worms tragedy; he hustles conventions of the tragic spectacle so that the tragedy moved towards a new style: the historical and political drama.

One year before its death, Talma wrote its revolutionary vision of the theater in its Mémoire on Lekain and the dramatic art . Entire Paris witnessed its funeral, without religious ceremony, the October 21st 1826. Gerard de Nerval composed an elegy entitled Death of Talma . Alexandre Dumas joined together papers of the tragic actor and made publish the Mémoires of J. - F. Talma, written by itself in 1850.

Talma was the faithful friend of Louise Desgarcins, which it had made enter to the Academy. He had married Charlotte Vanhove, actress and girl of actors. Its tomb is with the Père Lachaise.

Jules Janin will say at the time of its death, in its Talma and Lekain : “TALMA is not any more. By repeating this painful news, each one seems to seek a denial. This public incredulity is a homage paid to the genius. One to hardly conceive that a celestial fire can die out; this feeling is so powerful that all the time with his disease one was pleased by learning that Talma still suffered: there existed. The movement of national pride that one tested by pronouncing the name of this large actor from now on will be interfered regrets. We all, young contemporaries of this famous man, who however applauded it at one time, we are to envy that which can exclaim: “I quivered of enthusiasm to his last tragic inspirations. ” But if its loss inspires a so natural pain to us, how much it must be sharp for those which saw being born and growing its talent! What a lesson death gives the obscure citizens, when it unceasingly strikes those to which immense virtues or talents had almost given the right to require for them an exception in the natural laws! ”

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