Roger Blin (22 March 1907 – 21 January 1984) was a
French actor and director. He staged world premieres of
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish writer of novels, plays, short stories, and poems. Writing in both English and French, his literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal, and Tragicomedy, tra ...
's ''
Waiting for Godot
''Waiting for Godot'' ( or ) is a 1953 play by Irish writer and playwright Samuel Beckett, in which the two main characters, Vladimir (Waiting for Godot), Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo), engage in a variety of discussions and encounters w ...
'' in 1953 and
''Endgame'' in 1957.
Biography
Blin was the son of a doctor; however, despite his father's wishes, Blin forged a career in the theatre. As a teenager he was 'fascinated' by the Surrealists and their conception of revolutionary art.
He was initially part of the left-wing theatre collectives ''The Company of Five'' and ''The October Group''. In 1935 Blin served as
Antonin Artaud's assistant director for his production of ''
Les Cenci'' (''The Cenci'') at the Folies-Wagrams theatre in 1935.
Following his work with Artaud, Blin focused on 'political street-theatre.'
During the
war
War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
, Blin was a liaison between the
Resistance and the French Army.
His extensive career as both director and actor in both film and theatre has been largely defined by his work and relationship with Artaud, Samuel Beckett and
Jean Genet
Jean Genet (; ; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels '' The Th ...
. In addition to being a close friend and confidant of Artaud during the latter's nine years of internment, he directed the first performances of Beckett's ''Waiting For Godot'', ''
Happy Days
''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marsha ...
'' and ''
Endgame'' as well as directing the initial performance of Genet's ''
The Blacks'' and the controversial ''
The Screens''. Genet's key correspondences to Blin have been published by Editions Gallimard. Samuel Beckett, in a letter to George Duthuit, said that he thought Blin wasn't a great actor nor director, but he had a great love for the theater.
The 1986 Faber and Faber publication, "Samuel Beckett: The Complete Dramatic Works" carries only three dedications from Beckett: "Endgame" is dedicated to Blin, while "Come and Go" is for John Calder, and "Catastrophe" is for Václav Havel.
Partial filmography
* ''
Street Without a Name
''Street Without a Name'' (French: ''La Rue sans nom'') is a 1934 French drama film directed by Pierre Chenal and starring Constant Rémy, Gabriel Gabrio and Paule Andral. It is based on the 1930 novel '' La Rue sans nom'' by Marcel Aymé.Gobl ...
'' (1934)
* ''
Zouzou'' (1934) – Le témoin du meurtre (uncredited)
* ''
The Mutiny of the Elsinore'' (1936) – Un marin
* ''Razumov: Sous les yeux d'occident'' (1936) – (uncredited)
* ''
Life Belongs to Us'' (1936) – Un métallo
* ''
Jenny'' (1936) – Le Malade solitaire
* ''
Beethoven's Great Love
''Beethoven's Great Love'' (French: ''Un grand amour de Beethoven'' is a 1936 French historical musical drama film directed by Abel Gance and starring Harry Baur, Annie Ducaux and Jany Holt. It portrays the career of the composer Ludwig van Beet ...
'' (1936) – de Ries
* ''
The Citadel of Silence'' (1937) – Un officier
* ''La dame de pique'' (1937) – (uncredited)
* ''
The Alibi'' (1937) – Kretz, l'homme de main de Winckler
* ''Le temps des cerises'' (1938) – Le fils Dupuis
* ''
Rasputin
Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin ( – ) was a Russian mystic and faith healer. He is best known for having befriended the imperial family of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, through whom he gained considerable influence in the final ye ...
'' (1938) – Le jeune paysan (uncredited)
* ''
The Lafarge Case'' (1938) – Le journalier
* ''
Adrienne Lecouvreur'' (1938) – l'alchimiste
* ''
The Curtain Rises'' (1938) – Dominique
* ''
The White Slave'' (1939) – Maïr
* ''
Louise'' (1939) – Un rapin (uncredited)
* ''
The World Will Tremble'' (1939) – Le condamné
* ''Battement de coeur'' (1940)
* ''Volpone'' (1941) – Un vénitien (uncredited)
* ''L'âge d'or'' (1942)
* ''
The Trump Card'' (1942) – Un aspirant
* ''
Les Visiteurs du Soir'' (1942) – Le montreur de monstres
* ''
Captain Fracasse'' (1943) – Fagotin / Fagottino
* ''
Goodbye Leonard'' (1943) – Le chef bohémien
* ''
Le Corbeau'' (1943) – François
* ''
Love Story'' (1943) – L'homme du théâtre (uncredited)
* ''
Colonel Chabert'' (1943) – Un Clerc
* ''
First on the Rope'' (1944) – Paul Moury
* ''La vie de bohème'' (1945)
* ''
The Last Judgment'' (1945)
* ''
The Ideal Couple'' (1946) – Le somnambule
* ''Passionnelle'' (1947) – Julien
* ''
Wicked City'' (1949) – Emilio
* ''Histoires extraordinaires'' (1949) – Guillaume
* ''
Orpheus
In Greek mythology, Orpheus (; , classical pronunciation: ) was a Thracians, Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet. He was also a renowned Ancient Greek poetry, poet and, according to legend, travelled with Jason and the Argonauts in se ...
'' (1950) – The Poet
* ''Vagabonds imaginaires'' (1950) – Le récitant (segment 'Les amours jaunes') (voice)
* ''
The Convict'' (1951) – Un bagnard
* ''
Adventures of Captain Fabian'' (1951) – Philippe
* ''The King and the Mockingbird'' (1952) – L'aveugle (voice)
* ''
Piédalu Works Miracles'' (1952)
* ''
Le Chevalier de la nuit
''The Knight of the Night'' , is a French comedy film from 1953, directed by Robert Darène, written by Jean Anouilh, starring Renée Saint-Cyr, Jean-Claude Pascal and Louis de Funès. The film is known under the titles: "Femmes de Paris", ...
'' (1953) – Le domestique
* ''
Your Turn, Callaghan'' (1955) – Wladimir
* ''
The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' (1956) – Mathias Hungadi
* ''Les Tripes au soleil'' (1959) – Slim
* ''
Paris Blues'' (1961) – Fausto the Moor (uncredited)
* ''A Taste for Women'' (1964) – Larsen
* ''Marie Soleil'' (1964) – Karl / Boss
* ''Les ruses du diable (Neuf portraits d'une jeune fille)'' (1966) – Monsieur de Beaurepaire
* ''Le Dimanche de la vie'' (1967) – Jean Sans-Tête
* ''La loi du survivant'' (1967) – Pao
* ''Trop petit mon ami'' (1970) – Boris
* ''Traîté du rossignol'' (1971) – Lars Larsen
* ''Dada au coeur'' (1974) – Max
* ''
L'important c'est d'aimer
''That Most Important Thing: Love'' (original French title: ''L'important c'est d'aimer'') is a French film directed by Polish filmmaker Andrzej Żuławski. It tells the story of a passionate love relationship between Nadine Chevalier, a B-List act ...
'' (1975) – Servais's father
* ''
Aloïse'' (1975) – Le professeur de chant
* ''Lily, aime-moi'' (1975) – Lily's father
* ''Il faut vivre dangereusement'' (1975) – Murdoc
* ''Nevermore, Forever'' (1976) – Daniel
* ''
The Old Country Where Rimbaud Died'' (1977) – Le père de Jeanne
* ''Solveig et le violon turc'' (1977)
* ''
The Adolescent'' (1979) – Romain
* ''
Five and the Skin'' (1982) – Récitant (voice)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blin, Roger
1907 births
1984 deaths
French male film actors
French male stage actors
French film directors
French theatre directors
People from Neuilly-sur-Seine
20th-century French male actors