Bellerose (actor)

BelleroseorBelle-Rose(1592 – 1670) was the stage name of the Frenchactor-managerPierre le Messier.He was one of the leadingtragediansof the first half of the 17th century.

He apprenticed withValleran le Contein 1609,performed inBourgesin 1619, and directed his own company inMarseillein 1620, but little else is known about his early career.He joined theComédiens du RoiunderGros-Guillaumeat theHôtel de Bourgognein 1622. He had a fine speaking voice and performed leading parts incomediesand tragedies, and also acted as the 'orator', the member of the company who formally addressed the audience. Some contemporaries regarded Bellerose as "insipid and affected" and preferred his arch-rival, the more aggressiveMontdoryat theThéâtre du Marais.After Gros-Guillaume's death in 1634, Bellerose became the leader of the Comédiens du Roi at the Bourgogne and remained in that position until 1647, when he is thought to have sold his interest in the company for a very high price to his brother-in-lawFloridor.He was married toMademoiselle Bellerose.

Bibliography

• Forman, Edward (2010).Historical Dictionary of French Theater.Lanham: The Scarecrow Press.ISBN9780810849396.
• Roy, Donald (1995). "Bellerose", p. 92, inThe Cambridge Guide to the Theatre,edited by Martin Banham. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.ISBN9780521434379.

External links

• WorldCat identities