François-Joseph Talma
François-Joseph Talma | |
---|---|
Born | Paris, France | 15 January 1763
Died | 19 October 1826 Paris, France | (aged 63)
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1787–1826 |
François Joseph Talma (15 January 1763 – 19 October 1826) was a French actor.
Life
He was born in Paris. His father, a dentist, moved to London, and saw that his son received a good English education. François Joseph returned to Paris, where for a year and a half he himself practised dentistry. His predilection for the stage was cultivated in amateur theatricals, and on 21 November 1787 he made his debut at the Comédie-Française as Seide in Voltaire's Mahomet. His efforts from the first won approval, but for a considerable time he only obtained secondary parts.[1]
It was as a juvenile lead that he first came to prominence, and he only gradually achieved his unrivalled position as the exponent of strong and concentrated passion. Talma was among the earliest advocates of realism in scenery and costume, being aided by his friend, the painter Jacques-Louis David. His first step in this direction was to appear in the small role of Proculus in Voltaire's Brutus, with a toga and short Roman haircut, much to the surprise of an audience accustomed to 18th century costume on stage, regardless of whether it suited the part played.[1] He is often credited with having introduced the male Neoclassical hairstyle.
Talma possessed the physical gifts to enable him to excel, a striking appearance and a voice of beauty and power, which he gradually trained to perfection. At first somewhat stilted and monotonous in his manner, he came to be regarded as a model of simplicity. Talma married
Talma was also a friend of
By the 1820s, Talma was established as "the dominant personality at the Comédie-Française, where he alone could still successfully impose classical tragedy upon the public".
Talma made his last appearance on 11 June 1826 as Charles VI in Delaville's tragedy, and he died in Paris on 19 October of that year.[3]
In
One is an actor by virtue of being ahead of mankind in one insight: what is meant to have the effect of truth must not be true. The proposition was formulated by Talma; it contains the whole psychology of the actor; it also contains--we need not doubt it--his morality. Wagner's music is never true.
But it is taken for true; and thus it is in order.[4]
See also
Notes
- ^ a b c d Chisholm 1911, p. 379.
- ^ Maurois, André (1957). "Part 1, Chapter IV". The Titans: A Three Generation Biography of the Dumas. Translated by Gerald Hopkins (First ed.). New York: Harper & Brothers. pp. 50–51.
- ^ Chisholm 1911, p. 380.
- ^ Nietzsche, Frederick Kritische Studienausgabe 6:31
References
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Talma, François Joseph". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 26 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 379–380. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
- Mémoires de Talma, édités par Alexandre Dumas
- F.J. Talma (1915) Reflexions on the Actor`s Art, translator unknown, review by Fleeming Jenkin page 45, published by Dramatic Museum of Columbia University.