Louise Contat
Encyclopedia
Louise-Françoise Contat was a French
actress.
and made her debut at the Comédie Française in 1766 as Atalide in Bajazet
. It was in comedy, however, that she made her first success, as Suzanne in Beaumarchais
's Mariage de Figaro
; and in several minor character parts, which she raised to the first importance, and as the soubrette
in the plays of Molière
and Pierre de Marivaux
, she found opportunities exactly fitted to her talents.
By Louis Marie Jacques Amalric, comte de Narbonne-Lara
(17, 23 or 24 August 1755 - 17 November 1813), soldier
and diplomat
, she had one daughter Louise Amalrique Bathilde Isidore Contat de Narbonne-Lara, born at Saint Pierre de Chaillot, Paris, on 21 September 1788, who married in Paris on 2 December 1811 Dutch Jan Frederik Abbema, born in Amsterdam
on 13 June 1773, and had one son Émile, vicomte d' Abbéma, who had an only daughter by his wife Henriette Anne d' Astoin named Louise Abbéma (Étampes
, 30 October 1853 - Paris, 4 August 1927).
Bouillet writes of her "She played comedy to perfection and made people remark on the flexibility of her talent, succeeding equally as grandes coquettes and as soubrettes". She was part of the success of the plays of Marivaux
and Beaumarchais. She left the theatre in 1808, and in 1809 married de Parny, nephew of the poet Évariste de Parny.
Her sister Marie Émilie Contat (1769-1846), an admirable soubrette, especially as the pert servant drawn by Molière and de Regnard
, made her debut in 1784, and retired, in 1815.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
actress.
Career
She was born in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and made her debut at the Comédie Française in 1766 as Atalide in Bajazet
Bajazet (play)
Bajazet is a tragedy by Jean Racine in five acts , in Alexandrian verse, first played at the Hotel de Bourgogne, on January 5, 1672, after Berenice, and before Mithridate. Like Aeschylus in The Persians, Racine took his subject from contemporary history, taking care to choose a far off location,...
. It was in comedy, however, that she made her first success, as Suzanne in Beaumarchais
Pierre Beaumarchais
Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais was a French playwright, watchmaker, inventor, musician, diplomat, fugitive, spy, publisher, arms dealer, satirist, financier, and revolutionary ....
's Mariage de Figaro
The Marriage of Figaro (play)
The Marriage of Figaro ) is a comedy in five acts, written in 1778 by Pierre Beaumarchais. This play is the second installment in the Figaro Trilogy, preceded by The Barber of Seville and followed by The Guilty Mother. The Barber begins the story with a simple love triangle in which the Count has...
; and in several minor character parts, which she raised to the first importance, and as the soubrette
Soubrette
A soubrette is a female stock character in opera and theatre. The term arrived in English from Provençal via French, and means "conceited" or "coy".-Theater:...
in the plays of Molière
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
and Pierre de Marivaux
Pierre de Marivaux
Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux , commonly referred to as Marivaux, was a French novelist and dramatist....
, she found opportunities exactly fitted to her talents.
By Louis Marie Jacques Amalric, comte de Narbonne-Lara
Louis, comte de Narbonne-Lara
Louis Marie Jacques Amalric, comte de Narbonne-Lara was a French nobleman, soldier and diplomat.-Birth and early life:He was born at Colorno, in the Duchy of Parma, as the son of Françoise de Châlus Louis Marie Jacques Amalric, comte de Narbonne-Lara (17, 23 or 24 August 1755 – 17 November...
(17, 23 or 24 August 1755 - 17 November 1813), soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
and diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
, she had one daughter Louise Amalrique Bathilde Isidore Contat de Narbonne-Lara, born at Saint Pierre de Chaillot, Paris, on 21 September 1788, who married in Paris on 2 December 1811 Dutch Jan Frederik Abbema, born in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
on 13 June 1773, and had one son Émile, vicomte d' Abbéma, who had an only daughter by his wife Henriette Anne d' Astoin named Louise Abbéma (Étampes
Étampes
Étampes is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southwest from the center of Paris . Étampes is a sub-prefecture of the Essonne department....
, 30 October 1853 - Paris, 4 August 1927).
Bouillet writes of her "She played comedy to perfection and made people remark on the flexibility of her talent, succeeding equally as grandes coquettes and as soubrettes". She was part of the success of the plays of Marivaux
Pierre de Marivaux
Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux , commonly referred to as Marivaux, was a French novelist and dramatist....
and Beaumarchais. She left the theatre in 1808, and in 1809 married de Parny, nephew of the poet Évariste de Parny.
Her sister Marie Émilie Contat (1769-1846), an admirable soubrette, especially as the pert servant drawn by Molière and de Regnard
Jean-François Regnard
Jean-François Regnard , "the most distinguished, after Molière, of the comic poets of the seventeenth century", was a dramatist, born in Paris, who is equally famous now for the travel diary he kept of a voyage in 1681....
, made her debut in 1784, and retired, in 1815.
External links
- Louise Contat and her rôles on CESAR