Fernand Samuel was the professional name of Adolphe-Amédée Louveau"Fernand Samuel"
Les Archives du spectacle. Retrieved 6 August 2020 (2 July 1862 – 21 December 1914), a French

theatre director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...

and producer."Fernand Samuel"
Bibliothèque nationale de France. Retrieved 6 August 2020 He was director of the

Théâtre de la Renaissance The name Théâtre de la Renaissance () has been used successively for three distinct Parisian theatre companies. The first two companies, which were short-lived enterprises in the 19th century, used the Salle Ventadour, now an office building ...

, Paris from 1884 to 1892 and the

Théâtre des Variétés The Théâtre des Variétés () is a theatre and "salle de spectacles" at 7–8, boulevard Montmartre, 2nd arrondissement, in Paris. It was declared a monument historique in 1974. History The theatre owed its creation to Mademoiselle Montans ...

from 1892 to 1914.

Life and career

Samuel was born in Rome on 2 July 1862. He came from a theatrical family, and as young man in the early 1880s wrote a column for the ''Globe'' newspaper and was a leading member of a well-known amateur troupe, "Arts intimes", in Paris.Giguoux, Regis
"Mort de Fernand Samuel"
''Le Figaro'', 22 December 1914, p. 2 Encouraged by

Francisque Sarcey Francisque Sarcey (8 October 1827 – 16 May 1899) was a French journalist and dramatic critic. Career Sarcey was born in Dourdan, Essonne. After some years as schoolmaster, a job for which his temperament was ill-fitted, he entered journal ...

he became lessee of the

, Paris in 1884. He appointed his friend

Georges Feydeau Georges-Léon-Jules-Marie Feydeau (; 8 December 1862 – 5 June 1921) was a French playwright of the Belle Époque era, remembered for his farces, written between 1886 and 1914. Feydeau was born in Paris to middle-class parents and raised in a ...

as secretary general to the theatre, and in 1886 Samuel presented Feydeau's first full-length play, ''Tailleur pour dames''.Gidel, pp. 73 and 78 Samuel established a substantial reputation at the Renaissance, where he remained in charge until 1892. After he moved from there to the

in the same year his prestige increased and he became known as "Samuel le Magnifique". He assembled a company of leading stars including

Jeanne Granier Jeanne Granier (; 31 March 1852 – 18 or 19 December 1939) was a French soprano, born and died in Paris, whose career was centred on the French capital.Gänzl K. Jeanne Granier. In: ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.'' Macmillan, London an ...

Ève Lavallière Ève Lavallière (; born Eugénie Marie Pascaline Fenoglio, 1 April 1866 – 10 July 1929) was a French stage actress and later a noteworthy Catholic penitent and member of the Secular Franciscan Order. Biography Ève Lavallière was born at 8 ...

(whom he married), Albert Brasseur,

Max Dearly Max Dearly (22 November 1874 – 2 June 1943) was a French stage and film actor. Dearly was born Lucien Paul Marie-Joseph Rolland in Paris, and died in Neuilly-sur-Seine on the 2 June 1943. Partial filmography * ''Le bonheur sous la main'' (19 ...

and others, and presented a series of successful plays. When he died, shortly after the start of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, ''

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 that he would be known as "one of our great pre-war directors". Samuel died at

Cap d'Ail Cap-d'Ail (; ; or ''Capo d'Aglio'') is a seaside commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. Geography Cap-d'Ail borders the areas of La Colle, Les Révoires and Fontvieille ...

Alpes-Maritimes Alpes-Maritimes (; ; ; ) is a Departments of France, department of France located in the country's southeast corner, on the France–Italy border, Italian border and Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast. Part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'A ...

on 21 December 1914.

References and sources

References

Sources

* {{Authority control 1862 births 1914 deaths French theatre directors French expatriates