Marie Delaporte (27 September 1838 – 1910) was a French actress who played for many years in Paris and Saint Petersburg. She was known for her modesty, grace and decency.

Life

Marie Delaporte was born in Paris on 27 September 1838. Her parents were shopkeepers. She entered the

Conservatoire de Paris 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 ...

in 1853. She studied under

Joseph Isidore Samson Joseph Isidore Samson (2 July 1793 – 28 March 1871) was a 19th-century French actor and playwright. Life Samson was born at Saint-Denis, near Paris, the son of a restaurateur. He took first prize for comedy at the Conservatoire in 1812, marrie ...

and obtained the first place in 1854. She made her debut at the Théâtre du Gymnase in Paris on 6 May 1855 with the ''Mariage de Victorine'', as Victorine. She was intelligent, cheerful and sentimental, and performed for 13 years at this theatre, with a piquant naivety, grace and decency. Her last role at the Gymnase was in the ''Roman d'une honnête Femme'' which opened on 16 November 1867. She played in works by

George Sand Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin de Francueil (; 1 July 1804 – 8 June 1876), best known by her pen name George Sand (), was a French novelist, memoirist and journalist. Being more renowned than either Victor Hugo or Honoré de Balz ...

Eugène Scribe Augustin Eugène Scribe (; 24 December 179120 February 1861) was a French dramatist and librettist. He is known for writing "well-made plays" ("pièces bien faites"), a mainstay of popular theatre for over 100 years, and as the librettist of man ...

, Alexandre Dumas ''fils'',

Octave Feuillet Octave Feuillet (11 July 1821 – 29 December 1890) was a French novelist and dramatist. His work stands midway between the romanticists and the realists. He is renowned for his "distinguished and lucid portraiture of life", depictions of fe ...

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

Théodore Barrière Théodore Barrière (1823 – 16 October 1877), French playwright, was born in Paris. He belonged to a family of map engravers which had long been connected with the war department, and spent nine years in that service himself. The success o ...

throughout the

Second French Empire The Second French Empire, officially the French Empire, was the government of France from 1852 to 1870. It was established on 2 December 1852 by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, president of France under the French Second Republic, who proclaimed hi ...

. In 1867 she co-starred with

Madame Pasca Alice Marie Angèle Pasquier (November 16, 1833 – May 25, 1914), better known by her stage name Madame Pasca and also known as Alix-Marie Pasquier, was a French stage actress. Life and career Pasca was born on November 16, 1833, in Lyon to ...

(Alix-Marie-Angèle Séon) in the play ''Les Idées de Madame Aubray'' by Dumas ''fils''. In 1867 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 ...

offered Marie Delaporte the position of '' sociétaire''. She declined that but accepted the position of ''pensionnaire'' (paid actor). She fell ill and had to stay away from the stage for a year. She then received a magnificent offer from Russia of 55,000 francs per year with five months off. The director of the Gymnase released her from her contract. In Saint Petersburg Delaporte found her compatriots Dupais and Dieudonné. Marie Delaporte spent seven years at the

Mikhailovsky Theatre The Mikhailovsky Theatre () is one of Russia's oldest opera and ballet houses. It was founded in 1833 and occupies a Brulleau-designed building on 1, Arts Square in Saint Petersburg. It is named after Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia. ...

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

during that theatre's apogee. She was accepted by the society of that city, and by literary men such as Count

Vladimir Sollogub Count Vladimir Alexandrovich Sollogub (; ; 20 August 1813 – 17 June 1882) was a minor Russian writer, author of novelettes, essays, plays, and memoirs. Born in Saint Petersburg, his paternal grandfather was a Polish aristocrat, and he grew up i ...

. There is a story that at one time Madame Pasca was to play Mathilde in the ''Supplice d'une femme'', but she was sick and unable to appear. Delaporte played the part in her place. She learned the part in three days, and performed it wonderfully. Marie Delaporte did not return to the Gymnase until 22 September 1874, when she created the role of Gilberle. After another year in Russia she returned to star at the boulevard Bonne-Nouvelle on 25 August 1875 in a reprise of Froufrou, a role that was originally created for Mme Desclée. In June 1876 Marie Delaporte was in London with M. Andrieu, and appeared in private performances of ''L'Autre Motif'' by

Édouard Pailleron Édouard Jules Henri Pailleron (7 September 183419 April 1899) was a French poet and dramatist best known for his play . Early life Édouard was born in Paris on 7 September 1834. From a Parisian cultured "bourgeoise" family (upper-middle class ...

and various pieces suitable for one or two performers. Her last appearances seem to have been at the Vaudeville from 23-30 December 1877 in ''Une Séparation'' and on 1 March 1878 in the ''Bourgeois de Pont-Arcy''. She later taught diction at the

École Normale Supérieure École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by Secondary education in France, secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing i ...

. She lived in Paris from 1884 to 1904. In 1884 she was named an Officer of the Academy, and in 1899, at the age of 60, she was given a pension of 500 francs by the Société des artistes.

Notes

Sources

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Delaporte, Marie 1838 births 1910 deaths French National Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni 19th-century French actresses French stage actresses Troupe of the Comédie-Française Academic staff of the École Normale Supérieure 19th-century French educators 19th-century French women educators