Pierre-Laurent Buirette de Belloy
Encyclopedia
Pierre-Laurent Buirette de Belloy or Dormont De Belloy (November 17, 1727, Saint-Flour, Cantal
- March 5, 1775) was a French dramatist and actor.
He was educated by his uncle, a distinguished advocate in Paris
, for the bar. To escape from a profession he disliked he joined a troupe of comedians playing in the courts of the northern sovereigns. In 1758 the performance of his Titus, which had already been produced in Saint Petersburg
, was postponed through his uncles exertions; and when it did appear, a hostile cabal procured its failure, and it was not until after his guardians death that de Belloy returned to Paris with Zelmire (1762), a fantastic drama which met with great success, latter becoming an opera by Rossini
. This was followed in 1765 by the patriotic play, Le Siège de Calais. The moment was opportune.
The humiliations undergone by France in the Seven Years' War
assured a good reception for a play in which the devotion of Frenchmen redeemed disaster. The popular enthusiasm was unaffected by the judgment of calmer critics such as Diderot
and Voltaire
, who pointed out that the glorification of France was not best effected by a picture of defeat. De Belloy was admitted to the Académie française
in 1772 due to his activities as a playwright. He remains the only actor to have ever held a seat on the Academy. His attempt to introduce national subjects into French drama deserves honor, but it must be confessed that his resources proved unequal to the task. The Le Siège de Calais was followed by Gaston di Bayard (1771), Pedro le cruel (1772) and Gabrielle de Vergy (1777). None of these attained the success of the earlier play, and dc Belloys death, which took place on the 5th of March 1775, is said to have been hastened by disappointment.
Saint-Flour, Cantal
Saint-Flour is a commune in the Cantal department in the Auvergne region in south-central France. Its inhabitants are called Sanflorains.-Geography:...
- March 5, 1775) was a French dramatist and actor.
He was educated by his uncle, a distinguished advocate in Paris
Paris
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...
, for the bar. To escape from a profession he disliked he joined a troupe of comedians playing in the courts of the northern sovereigns. In 1758 the performance of his Titus, which had already been produced in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, was postponed through his uncles exertions; and when it did appear, a hostile cabal procured its failure, and it was not until after his guardians death that de Belloy returned to Paris with Zelmire (1762), a fantastic drama which met with great success, latter becoming an opera by Rossini
Zelmira
Zelmira is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola. Based on the French play, Zelmire by de Belloy, it was the last of the composer's Neapolitan operas...
. This was followed in 1765 by the patriotic play, Le Siège de Calais. The moment was opportune.
The humiliations undergone by France in the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
assured a good reception for a play in which the devotion of Frenchmen redeemed disaster. The popular enthusiasm was unaffected by the judgment of calmer critics such as Diderot
Denis Diderot
Denis Diderot was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer. He was a prominent person during the Enlightenment and is best known for serving as co-founder and chief editor of and contributor to the Encyclopédie....
and Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
, who pointed out that the glorification of France was not best effected by a picture of defeat. De Belloy was admitted to the Académie française
Académie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
in 1772 due to his activities as a playwright. He remains the only actor to have ever held a seat on the Academy. His attempt to introduce national subjects into French drama deserves honor, but it must be confessed that his resources proved unequal to the task. The Le Siège de Calais was followed by Gaston di Bayard (1771), Pedro le cruel (1772) and Gabrielle de Vergy (1777). None of these attained the success of the earlier play, and dc Belloys death, which took place on the 5th of March 1775, is said to have been hastened by disappointment.