Céline Émilie Seurre (7 September 1873 in Paris – 3 September 1966 in

Trouville-sur-Mer Trouville-sur-Mer (, literally ''Trouville on Sea''), commonly referred to as Trouville, is a city of 4,603 inhabitants in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. Trouville-sur-Mer borders Deauville across the ...

), known as Cécile Sorel or the Comtesse de Ségur by marriage, was a French comic actress. She enjoyed great popularity and was known for her extravagant costumes.

Biography

Sorel was attracted to the theater at an early age, studying with Louis-Arsène Delaunay and Marie Favart. In 1899, she began her career at the Odéon and then, in 1901, became a member of the

Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real ...

, where she specialized in playing a stock character known as the "grande coquette". She was especially well known for her portrayal of Célimène in '' The Misanthrope''. In 1904, she became the 339th " Sociétaire de la Comédie-Française" and remained with the theater until 1933. Although long engaged to Whitney Warren, an American architect who was related to the

Vanderbilts The Vanderbilt family is an American family who gained prominence during the Gilded Age. Their success began with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and the family expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthr ...

, she eventually married the Comte de Ségur-Lamoignon, great grandson of the famous

Comtesse de Ségur Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New Yor ...

, who acted under the name

Guillaume de Sax Guillaume de Sax (1889–1945) was a Belgian actor. De Sax was born Guillaume Henri Robert de Segur Lamoignon in Belgium and died in France. He was married to the actress Cécile Sorel. Partial filmography * ''Ernest the Rebel'' (1938) * ''Three ...

. They were sometimes mocked as "beauty and the beast" and were separated after fifteen years, but she kept the title of "Comtesse" for the rest of her life. Cecile Sorel by François Flameng c. 1903 In 1909, she had the starring role in ''

La Tosca ''La Tosca'' is a five- act drama by the 19th-century French playwright Victorien Sardou. It was first performed on 24 November 1887 at the Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin in Paris, with Sarah Bernhardt in the title role. Despite negative r ...

'', a film by

André Calmettes André Calmettes (1861-1942) was a French actor and film director. Biography After being a theatre actor for twenty years, he joined the society ', founded in 1908 by the novelist and editor, at the urging of the Sociétaires of the Comédie-Fr ...

and Charles Le Bargy. Her next film role did not come until 1937, when she played an aged courtesan in ''

The Pearls of the Crown ''The Pearls of the Crown'' (french: Les Perles de la couronne) is a 1937 French comedy film of historically based fiction by Sacha Guitry who plays four roles in it (many of the other performers play multiple roles, as well). Guitry's Jean Mart ...

'' by

Sacha Guitry Alexandre-Pierre Georges "Sacha" Guitry (; 21 February 188524 July 1957) was a French stage actor, film actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright of the boulevard theatre. He was the son of a leading French actor, Lucien Guitry, and follo ...

. Four years later, she essentially played herself in a sketch comedy called ''Les Petits riens'', written by and starring

Yves Mirande Yves Mirande (Bagneux (Maine-et-Loire), May 8, 1876 – Paris, March 17, 1957) was a French screenwriter, director, actor, and producer. Career Yves Mirande began his acting career in the theater, transitioning to movies in the silent era. F ...

. In 1944, she barely escaped the bombing that destroyed the Théâtre-Français in

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the region of Normandy and the department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe, the population ...

. In 1950, she underwent a "conversion" and, following the lead of the original Comtesse de Ségur, took her vows as a Third-order Franciscan. She adopted the name "Soeur Cécile de l'Enfant-Jésus" and devoted her time to writing. A television documentary of her career was produced in 1965. She died of complications from a fractured hip, suffered in a fall at her rented château on the French coast, and was buried in the

Cimetière du Montparnasse Montparnasse Cemetery (french: link=no, Cimetière du Montparnasse) is a cemetery in the Montparnasse quarter of Paris, in the city's 14th arrondissement. The cemetery is roughly 47 acres and is the second largest cemetery in Paris. The cemetery h ...

. She was painted by

François Flameng François Flameng (1856–1923) was a notable French painter during the last quarter of the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th. He was the son of Léopold Flameng, a celebrated printmaker, and received a first-rate education in his c ...

and her likeness appears in a fresco by

Charles Hoffbauer Charles Constantin Joseph Hoffbauer (June 28, 1875 - July 26, 1957) was a French-born artist who became a United States citizen. He painted a wide variety of subjects, including many that depicted scenes of historical interest. Early life and ed ...

on the ceiling of the

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, fr ...

at the

Château d'Artigny Château d'Artigny or Château Le Puy d'Artigny is a French castle located in the commune of Montbazon, in the department of Indre-et-Loire in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. The current structure was built between 1912 and 1928 to serve ...

Montbazon Montbazon () is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department, France. It is located on the river Indre between the towns of Veigné, Monts and Sorigny. The town is about 12 km from Tours. History In 991, friars of Cormery complained to the kin ...

, once owned by

François Coty François Coty (born Joseph Marie François Spoturno in Corsica ; 3 May 1874 – 25 July 1934) was a French perfumer, businessman, newspaper publisher, politician and patron of the arts. He was the founder of the Coty perfume company, today a mu ...

. A college in the town of

Mériel Mériel () is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department and Île-de-France region of France. Mériel station Mériel is a rail station in the commune of Mériel (Val-d'Oise department), France. The station is served by Transilien H trains f ...

is named after her.

References

External links

"Hommage à Célimène (Cécile Sorel)"
a video narrated by

Béatrix Dussane Béatrice Dussan, called Béatrix Dussane, (9 March 1888 - 3 March 1969) was a French stage actress. Admitted at the Comédie-Française in 1903, she became the 363th sociétaire in 1922. A street in the 15th arrondissement of Paris is named aft ...

from the

Institut national de l'audiovisuel The (abbrev. INA), () is a repository of all French radio and television audiovisual archives. Additionally it provides free access to archives of countries such as Afghanistan and Cambodia. It has its headquarters in Bry-sur-Marne. Since 200 ...

(INA).
"Comtesse de Ségur"
a video by Henry Magnan and Yannick Bellon from the INA.
Documents related to Cécile Sorel
@ Gallica. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sorel, Cecile 1873 births 1966 deaths French stage actresses French film actresses French silent film actresses 20th-century French actresses Comédie-Française Sociétaires of the Comédie-Française Burials at Montparnasse Cemetery Actresses from Paris Deaths from falls Secular Franciscans

Biography

References

Further reading

External links