Édouard Alexandre de Max (born Eduard-Alexandru Max Romalo; 14 February 1869 – 28 October 1924) was a Romanian actor who became a star in Parisian theatre. As a student at the

Paris Conservatoire The Conservatoire de Paris (), or the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (; CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue Jean Ja ...

he won prizes for tragedy and comedy, but it was as a tragedian that he became celebrated, appearing in classic works by

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

, Racine,

Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, philosopher and historian. Schiller is considered by most Germans to be Germany's most important classical playwright. He was born i ...

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

and others, as well as new works by writers including

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

Victorien Sardou Victorien Sardou ( , ; 5 September 1831 – 8 November 1908) was a French dramatist. He is best remembered today for his development, along with Eugène Scribe, of the well-made play. He also wrote several plays that were made into popular 19th-c ...

and Henri Bernstein. He appeared with many leading performers, including Gabrielle Réjane, but his best known and most frequent partnership was with

Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including by Alexandre Dumas fils, ...

. De Max's career was curtailed by ill health, and within two months of his final performance, at the

Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...

, he died at his Paris home at the age of 55.

Life and career

19th century

De Max was born in

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the Cities in Romania, third largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical ...

, Romania, on 14 February 1869."Death of French Actor: M. de Max's Career", ''The Times'', 29 October 1924, p. 13 His father was the physician Emil Max, whose home regularly hosted actors, cultural figures and writers.Maftei, pp. 207-08 Emil was

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

, while his wife Pulheria descended from two Phanariote ( Greco-Romanian) families, the Romalos and Rosettis (or Rusets). Not a very diligent student, according to the memoirist Rudolf Suțu,Mitican, p. 256 Eduard attended the first two grades at the National College, following which he was sent to study at

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

. Returning to Romania in 1884, he briefly studied at Mihai Viteazul High School in Bucharest. He then moved to Paris and entered the

Lycée Louis-le-Grand The Lycée Louis-le-Grand (), also referred to simply as Louis-le-Grand or by its acronym LLG, is a public Lycée (French secondary school, also known as sixth form college) located on Rue Saint-Jacques (Paris), rue Saint-Jacques in central Par ...

, going on to the

in 1888. At the conservatoire de Max studied under

Gustave Worms Gustave-Hippolyte Worms (26 November 1836 – 19 November 1910) was a French actor and teacher of acting. After a successful student career at the Paris Conservatoire, he joined the Comédie-Française in 1858. Although elected to the company's � ...

, and in 1891 he won the conservatoire's first prize for comedy with Gringoire and for tragedy with

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

, the first time the same student won both. Despite the prize for comedy, it was in tragedy that he became known, and in which he most often appeared. He made his first professional appearance on the stage at the Odéon Theatre, Paris as Neron in ''

Britannicus Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus (12 February AD 41 – 11 February AD 55), usually called Britannicus, was the son of Roman Emperor Claudius and his third wife, Valeria Messalina. For a time, he was considered his father's heir, but t ...

'' in 1891.Parker, p. 950 Earlier, in

Sinaia Sinaia () is a town and a mountain resort in Prahova County, Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Muntenia. The town was named after the Sinaia Monastery of 1695, around which it was built. The monastery, in turn, is named after ...

, he had appeared on an improvised set beside

Elena Văcărescu Elena Văcărescu, or Hélène Vacaresco (September 21, 1864 in Bucharest – February 17, 1947 in Paris), was a Romanian- French aristocrat writer, twice a laureate of the Académie Française. Life Through her father, Ioan Văcărescu, she d ...

in an

André Theuriet Claude Adhémar André Theuriet (; 8 October 1833 in Marly-le-Roi – 23 April 1907 in Bourg-la-Reine) was a 19th-century French poet and novelist. Life Theuriet was born at Marly-le-Roi (Seine et Oise), and was educated at Bar-le-Duc in his ...

play; despite public enthusiasm, no Bucharest theatre hired him. At the Théâtre de la Renaissance in 1893 de Max appeared in ''Izeyl'', '' Gismonda'' and ''La Princesse Lointaine,'' after which he returned to the Odéon in ''

Don Carlos ''Don Carlos'' is an 1867 five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French-language libretto by Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle, based on the 1787 play '' Don Karlos, Infant von Spanien'' (''Don Carlos, Infante of Spain'') by Fried ...

'' and ''Don Juan en Flandre''. At the Théâtre Antoine in 1897 he appeared in ''Le Repas du Lion'', ''Joseph d'Arimathie'', ''La Gitane'' and other plays, and at the Nouveau-Théâtre he appeared in leading parts in ''Le Roi de Rome'' and ''

Salome Salome (; , related to , "peace"; ), also known as Salome III, was a Jews, Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II and princess Herodias. She was granddaughter of Herod the Great and stepdaughter of Herod Antipas. She is known from the New T ...

''. De Max became a conspicuous figure in the Paris of the ''fin de siècle'' and early 20th-century. He was a flamboyant personality, "flirtatious, outrageously camp", according to a biographer, and had a reputation as a gay seducer, although one of his protégés,

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau ( , ; ; 5 July 1889 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, film director, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost avant-garde artists of the 20th-c ...

, wrote that this was something of a myth. His acting style was similarly flamboyant, and was disliked by those who preferred subtlety: he was widely regarded as well suited to act with his frequent stage partner,

, who also favoured big, broad dramatic effect. Cocteau wrote that like Bernhardt "he was ignorant of codes or formulas. He searched and invented." Offstage he was known for his generosity to struggling young artists and to the poor in general.

20th century

In the first two decades of the 20th century, de Max continued to appear mostly in serious, often tragic plays, but he made a single diversion into opera in 1900, playing the spoken title role in Fauré's '' Prométhée''. His roles included Peter in ''Quo Vadis?'', Claude Frollo in ''Notre Dame de Paris'', Le Roi Christian in ''Le Manteau du Roi'', and De Pantoya in ''Electra '' at the Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin between 1901 and 1906. At the Odéon in 1906 he played

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

, and Marc Antony in ''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

''. At the Théâtre Sarah Bernhardt he played in ''

Francesca da Rimini Francesca da Rimini or Francesca da Polenta (died between 1283 and 1286) was an Italian noblewoman of Ravenna, who was murdered by her husband, Giovanni Malatesta, upon his discovery of her affair with his brother, Paolo Malatesta. She was a ...

'', ''Théroigne de Méricourt'', ''

Werther ''Werther'' is an opera (''drame lyrique'') in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Édouard Blau, Paul Milliet and Georges Hartmann (who used the pseudonym Henri Grémont). It is loosely based on Goethe's epistolary novel ''The S ...

'', ''

Polyeucte ''Polyeucte'' is a drama in five acts by French writer Pierre Corneille. It was finished in December 1642 and debuted in October 1643. It is based on the life of the martyr Saint Polyeuctus (Polyeucte).Gabrielle Réjane at the Théâtre Réjane in Henri Bernstein's ''Israël''; the play was controversial but the performances of both stars were warmly praised.Stoullig, p. 318; and Flers, Robert de
Les Théâtres
''Le Figaro'', 14 October 1908, p. 5 De Max played the title role in ''

Timon of Athens ''The Life of Tymon of Athens'', often shortened to ''Timon of Athens'', is a play written by William Shakespeare and likely also Thomas Middleton in about 1606. It was published in the ''First Folio'' in 1623. Timon of Athens (person), Timon ...

'' at the Théâtre Antoine (1907). In 1911–12 he played a season at the Théâtre Sarah Bernhardt in plays including ''La Conquete d'Athenes'', ''Le Proces de Jeanne d'Arc'' and ''Le Typhon''. He added

Shylock Shylock () is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's play '' The Merchant of Venice'' ( 1600). A Venetian Jewish moneylender, Shylock is the play's principal villain. His defeat and forced conversion to Christianity form the climax ...

to his repertoire in 1916. In 1917 he was engaged by the

and was elected a sociétaire in the same year. His roles there included Neron in ''Britannicus'', Esope, the monk in ''La Cloître'', Baron de Horn in ''Le Prince d'Aurec'', Jules de Miremmont in ''Le Repas du Lion'', Basile in '' Le Barbier de Seville'', Oreste in '' Andromaque'', Sisyphe in ''La Morte enchainée'' and Xerxes in ''Les Perses''. In 1920 he appeared at the Opéra as Antony in ''

Antony and Cleopatra ''Antony and Cleopatra'' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed around 1607, by the King's Men at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre. Its first appearance in print was in the First Folio published ...

''. He played in a number of silent films; co-stars included Bernhardt and

Maurice Chevalier Maurice Auguste Chevalier (; 12 September 1888 – 1 January 1972) was a French singer, actor, and entertainer. He is best known for his signature songs, including " Livin' In The Sunlight", " Valentine", " Louise", " Mimi", and " Thank Heaven f ...

. In 1904 and 1915 de Max returned on tour to his native country, playing in Bucharest, Iași,

Constanța Constanța (, , ) is a city in the Dobruja Historical regions of Romania, historical region of Romania. A port city, it is the capital of Constanța County and the country's Cities in Romania, fourth largest city and principal port on the Black ...

Craiova Craiova (, also , ) is the largest city in southwestern Romania, List of Romanian cities, the seventh largest city in the country and the capital of Dolj County, situated near the east bank of the river Jiu River, Jiu in central Oltenia. It i ...

and

Galați Galați ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names) is the capital city of Galați County in the historical region of Western Moldavia, in eastern Romania. Galați is a port town on the river Danube. and the sixth-larges ...

in his favourite plays alongside a fellow emigrant, Maria Ventura. He also acted in works by domestic writers, such as

Octavian Goga Octavian Goga (; 1 April 1881 – 7 May 1938) was a Romanian far-right politician, poet, playwright, journalist, and translator. Biography Early life Octavian Goga was born on 1 April 1881 in the village of Rășinari, on the northern sl ...

and Alexandru Davila. Before Romania's 1916 entry into the First World War he wrote in favour of its joining the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

. During the war he took part in dramatic festivals organised by Romanian students at the

University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

. He never renounced his Romanian citizenship. De Max struggled with illness in his later years, and made several stays in

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

for the good of his health."Mort de M. de Max"
''Le Figaro'', 29 October 1924, p. 7 His last appearance was at the Comédie-Française in September 1924, appearing against medical advice in Erckmann-Chatrian's ''L'Ami Fritz''. He died at his flat in the Rue de Caumartin on 28 October 1924, aged 55. In an obituary tribute ''

Le Figaro () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It was named after Figaro, a character in several plays by polymath Pierre Beaumarchais, Beaumarchais (1732–1799): ''Le Barbier de Séville'', ''The Guilty Mother, La Mère coupable'', ...

'' said:

Notes, references and sources

Notes

References

Sources

Books

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Journals

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Max, Edouard 1869 births 1924 deaths Male actors from Iași Rosetti family Romanian people of Jewish descent Romanian emigrants to France French male stage actors French male silent film actors 19th-century French male actors 20th-century French male actors Mihai Viteazul National College (Bucharest) alumni