Lhéritier

Romain Thomas , known as Lhéritier , was a French actor, born with Neuilly the September 14th 1809 and deceased with Paris the February 23rd 1885.

It made all its studies in Paris with the Bourbon college, today Lycée Condorcet, and it entered at 18 years a house of bank according to the wish of his father. Impassioned by the trade of actor, he played the evening with troops of amateurs in Doyen and in Tivoli. His/her father, not very eager to see his name being reproduced on posters of spectacle, would have said to him one day: “ Songe which you are the heir to a sizeable name… ”. The name of theater was found! And Romain Thomas disappeared for always behind Lhéritier.

He was noticed on the boards and, in 1831, he accepted two proposals for an engagement: one of the Theater Molière, the other of the Theater of the Palais Royal, which had just opened under the direction of Dormeuil. The young man, shy person of nature, preferred to accept the first proposal, that of the Théâtre Molière, the troop of the Palais Royal, including/understanding Régnier, Sainville, Virginia Déjazet, appearing too professional to him and prestigious for his talents of amateur. Unfortunately for him, the Théâtre Molière closed its doors at the end of six weeks, and Lhéritier was thus engaged in the troop of Dormeuil, which had maintained its proposal. There will remain 51 years there! During more than one half-century, it will be almost all parts of the Palais Royal. One says that it created 364 roles there, without speaking about the recoveries…

The public adopted it quickly, and it had roles with success, but one reproached him for a long time a certain timidity which paralyzed its means. During ten years, there remained stationary, groping, seeking its place. For this period, it took part, among many others, with the following parts:

1831: Loves of the port to the corn , comedy-light comedy in 1 act of Dumersan and Séwrin
1833: Sophie Arnoult , comedy-light comedy in 3 acts of Leuven, Desforges and Dumanoir
1834: the Salamander , comedy-light comedy in 4 acts Charles de Livry, of Forging mills and Leuven
1840: Dinners with 32 pennies , comedy-light comedy in an act of the Brothers Cogniard and Rimbaut
1841: the Viscount of Létorières , comedy-light comedy in three acts of Bayard and Dumanoir
1843: the Man of straw , comedy-light comedy in 1 act of Labiche and Lefranc (role of Billaudin) in May 1843

It ends up finding its employment in the roles of “premature fools” or “grimes” (comic or ridiculous old men). The following parts were for him real successes:

1845: the Almanac of the 25.000 addresses , light comedy in three acts of Ferdinand of Villeneuve and Edouard Lafargue (role of Pinchenet), that the troop went to play until London in 1848
1845: the King of Frontins , comedy-light comedy in 2 acts of Labiche and Lefranc (role of Frontin)
1846: Ass's milk
1847: With which it kid?
1847 : the Lawyer pedicures , comedy-light comedy into 1 act of Labiche and Lefranc (role of Chaffaroux) in April 1847
1850: a Mister who follows the women , comedy-light comedy in two acts of Theodore Barrière and Adrien Decourcelle on November 18th, 1850
1851: a leghorn hat , comedy in 5 acts of Labiche and Marc-Michel (role of Beauperthuis) in August 1851
1852: the Misanthropist and Auvergnat , comedy in 1 act of Labiche, Lubize and Siraudin (role of Coquenard) in August 1852
1853: the Torturer of the craniums , light comedy in two acts of Swell and Lustières (created in 1841)
1854: the Pile of Volta of Montjoie, Giraudin and Rouvenat de Larounat
1854: Remove your daughter, please , comedy in 2 acts of Labiche and Marc-Michel (role of Montdoublard) in November 1854
1856: Continuations of a first bed , comedy of Labiche and Marc-Michel, created in 1852;
Famous Vergeot , of Varin
Preparation with the baccalaureat
1862: the Station Champbaudet , comedy-light comedy in 3 acts of Labiche and Marc-Michel (role of Letrinquier) in March 1862

Larousse known as of him: “ Mr. Lhéritier has naturalness, liveliness, intelligence; it composes its characters with a great conscience; it gives a seal even to the roles of little importance. Frankly, open, communicative, it always remains in truth, avoids the load, looks after its roles, respects its Article Modeste, calm, rather impassive, it plays the stupid ones extremely well, the conceited ones and the importunate ones. Giving to the need a very original sufficiency, it with the speciality of the grognards and the chauvinistic old men ”.

After the deaths of Sainville in 1854 and Paul Grassot in 1860, it became one of the first actors of the Palais Royal. The arrival of Geoffroy in October 1862 was well made to frighten modest Lhéritier somewhat, given that the newcomer was famous for his side “bear” and his bad character. But the association of the triumphing beginner, Geoffroy, and of talented old, Lhéritier, made wonder. Far from harming itself, qualities of these two marvellous artists were complementary: with Geoffroy, roundness, naturalness, and in Lhéritier, the smoothness, mischievousness and also invaluable sinistrality! Their importance still increased after the departure of Ravel in 1868 for the theater of the Gymnasium.

Some of the parts of this time which, for the majority, employed this duet:

1863: Célimare the beloved , comedy-light comedy in 3 acts of Labiche and Delacour (role of Vernouillet) in February 1863
1863: pink Devils of Eugene Barn and Lambert-Thiboust (role of Belzingue);
1864: the Kitty , comedy-light comedy in 5 acts of Labiche and Delacour (role of Cordenbois) in February 1864
1865: the Shepherdess of the street Monthabor , comedy-light comedy in 4 acts of Labiche and Delacour (role of Goderleau) in December 1865
1866: a foot in the crime , comedy-light comedy in 3 acts of Labiche and Choler (role of Gaudiband) in August 1866
1867: Grammar , comedy-light comedy in 1 act of Labiche and Edouard Jolly (role of Poitrinas) in July 1867
1868: the Dad of the Price of Honor , comedy-light comedy in 4 acts of Labiche and Barrier (role of Dubichet) in February 1868
1868: the Carnival of a white blackbird , avoided and masked madness Chivot and Duru
1869: Gavaud, Minard and Co , comedy in 3 acts of Gondinet (role of Minard) in April 1869
1870: the happiest of the three , comedy in 3 acts of Labiche and Gondinet (role of Jobelin) in January 1870
1872: the Midnight supper , of Meilhac and Halévy (role of Pivot)
1873: the Head of division , comedy in 3 acts of Gondinet (role of Pontorson) in November 1873
1879: the Husband of the beginner , comedy in 4 acts of Meilhac and Halévy (role of Biscara) in February 1879
1881: the Husband of Babette .

At 73 years, in 1882, it took its retirement, celebrated by his comrades in homage to his constant kindness and benevolence. It was withdrawn in its house of Batignolles, surrounded by books, memories and its drawings, because it had a real talent of draftsman, and it had crunched many its colleges. But it did not benefit a long time from this rest. Hardly three years later, it was carried by an attack of paralysis the February 23rd 1885.

It was buried with the cemetery of Clichy, in a tomb of family.

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