Charles Dullin

Born May 12, 1885, in Yenne, Savoy; died Dec. 12, 1949, in Paris. French director, actor, and teacher.

In 1905, Dullin began acting in theaters and cafés in the suburbs of Paris. From 1907 to 1921 he performed under the outstanding direction of A. Antoine, J. Copeau, F. Gėmier and G. Baty. In 1922, Dullin founded the Parisian Théâtre de I’Atelier and worked there until 1940. In the 1940’s he was an actor and director in the Théâtre de Paris, the Théâtre Sarah Bernhardt in Paris, and the Théâtre des Célestines in Lyon. He often played leading roles in his productions. These included Hebbel’s Mary Magdalene (1912, his first work as a director), Pirandello “Bellavita (1922, the first staging of this author in France), Jonson’s Volpone (1928, title role), Balzac’s Le Faiseur (1935, the role of Mercade), and Salacrou’s The World Is Round (1938, the role of Savonarola) and The Lenoir Archipelago (1947, the role of Lenoir). His most outstanding performances as an actor included his portrayals of Harpagon in Miliére’s The Miser and Smerdiakov in Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov. Dullin devised innovative stage designs and new acting techniques. He strove for simplicity and freedom of stage movements and placed much emphasis on music. He trained many outstanding actors and directors, including J. Willard, J. L. Barrault, M. Marceau, and R. Rouleau. Dullin is the author of Memoirs and Notes of an Actor (Russian translation, 1958).