Fred de Gresac (died February 20, 1943), born Frédérique Rosine de Grésac, was a French librettist, playwright and screenwriter. She was the wife of opera singer

Victor Maurel Victor Maurel (17 June 184822 October 1923) was a French baritone who enjoyed an international reputation in opera. He sang in opera houses in Paris and London, Milan, Moscow, New York, St Petersburg and many other venues. He was particularly asso ...

Early life

Frédérique Rosine de Grésac was born at

Lamalou-les-Bains Lamalou-les-Bains (; Languedocien: ''L’Amalon'') is a commune in the Hérault département in the Occitanie region in southern France. Geography Lamalou-les-Bains is located 53½ miles west of Montpellier in the Orb valley of the southern ...

, in the south of France. (Dates of her birth range in sources, from 1866 to 1879.) She used the name "Fred de Gresac" professionally because, as she explained to a newspaper reporter, "I rather think the public likes its plays written by men."

Career

In 1917, theatre critic Alan Dale wrote that "The most brilliant feminine playwright I have ever met is the lady who signs herself 'Fred de Gresac'." She wrote more than 100 plays and screenplays, including '' The Marriage of Kitty'' (1903-1904), ''La Passerelle ( Orange Blossoms)'' (1904, revived in 1922 as a musical and 1947; with

Victor Herbert Victor August Herbert (February 1, 1859 – May 26, 1924) was an American composer, Cello, cellist and conducting, conductor of English and Irish ancestry and German training. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and co ...

), ''The Enchantress'' (1911-1912, with Harry B. Smith), ''The Wedding Trip'' (1911-1912, with Harry B. Smith and

Reginald de Koven Henry Louis Reginald De Koven (April 3, 1859January 16, 1920) was an American music critic and prolific composer, particularly of comic operas. Biography De Koven was born in Middletown, Connecticut, and moved to Europe in 1870, where he receive ...

), ''The Purple Road'' (1913), '' Sweethearts'' (1913-1914, with Harry B. Smith), and ''Flo-Flo'' (1917-1918, with Silvio Hein and E. Paulton). Of the musical comedy ''Flo-Flo'', she explained in 1919, "There is enough tragedy outside the theater. And so I have created ''Flo-Flo'' – I call her my spiritual cocktail – for America." Films written by de Gresac included '' The Marriage of Kitty'' (1915, now lost), ''

The Kiss of Hate ''The Kiss of Hate'' is a lost 1916 silent film drama starring Ethel Barrymore and H. Cooper Cliffe. The film had exclusive engagements, sometimes playing for only a day. Plot The story takes place in Czarist Russia and concerns an anti-Sem ...

'' (1916, now lost), '' The Great Secret'' (1917, now lost), ''

The Eternal Temptress ''The Eternal Temptress'' is a 1917 American silent film, silent drama film directed by Émile Chautard and written by Fred de Gresac and Eve Unsell. The film stars Lina Cavalieri, Elliott Dexter, Mildred Conselman, Alan Hale, Sr., Edward Fieldin ...

'' (1917), ''

La Bohème ''La bohème'' ( , ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions '':wikt:quadro, quadri'', ''wikt:tableau, tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto b ...

'' (1926), ''

The Son of the Sheik ''The Son of the Sheik'' is a 1926 American silent adventure drama film directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Rudolph Valentino and Vilma Bánky. The film is based on the 1925 romance novel ''The Sons of the Sheik'' by Edith Maude Hull ...

'' (1926), ''

Afraid to Love ''Afraid to Love'' is a 1927 American silent comedy film directed by Edward H. Griffith and written by Doris Anderson, Francis de Croisset, Fred de Gresac, Alfred Hustwick and Joseph Jackson. The film stars Florence Vidor, Clive Brook, ...

'' (1927), '' Camille'' (1926), ''

Breakfast at Sunrise ''Breakfast at Sunrise'' is a 1927 silent film comedy directed by Malcolm St. Clair and produced by and starring Constance Talmadge. It was distributed by First National Pictures. ''Breakfast at Sunrise'' is one of the “sophisticated comedie ...

'' (1927), ''

She Goes to War ''She Goes to War'' is a 1929 sound part-talkie directed by Henry King and starring Eleanor Boardman. In addition to sequences with audible dialogue or talking sequences, the film features a synchronized musical score and sound effects along w ...

'' (1929), and ''

Hell Harbor ''Hell Harbor'' is a 1930 American pre-Code drama film directed by Henry King and written by Fred de Gresac, Clarke Silvernail and Brewster Morse. The film stars Lupe Vélez, Jean Hersholt, John Holland, Gibson Gowland, Harry Allen and Al ...

'' (1930). In 1909 she was named artistic director of the Little Theatre in New York, offering "Elaborate and Costly Amusement in a Luxurious Setting for the Elect."

Personal life

Fred de Gresac was married to opera singer Victor Maurel. She was widowed when he died in 1923. Fred de Gresac died in Los Angeles in 1943, probably in her eighties. Her papers are archived at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

.Mme. Fred de Gresac papers, ca. 1900-1945
Stanford University Libraries.

References

External links

* *
The Online Books Page for Fred de Gresac.

Fred De Gresac
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

Three 1913 recordings of works by de Gresac
at the Dictionary of American Historical Recordings (DAHR), University of California Santa Barbara Library. {{authority control 20th-century French women writers 1943 deaths French women screenwriters 20th-century French screenwriters