Lucien Guitry
Lucien Germain Guitry was a French dramatic actor, born on 13 December
1860 in Paris.
A graduate of the Paris Conservatoire, Guitry made his stage debut in 1878,
and went on to become the most prominent French actor of his time From
1882 to 1891 he performed at the French Theatre in Saint Petersburg, where in
1885 he first met the composer and Modest Tchaikovsky. In 1887 Guitry suggested
that the composer should write incidental music to accompany his performance
in Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet, which resulted in the composition of
Tchaikovsky's overture-fantasia
(1888) and the incidental music
(1891) on the subject.
After leaving Russia, Guitry later went on to become an artist and director
at the Comédie Française in Paris. His son Sacha Guitry (1885–1957) also
became a notable performing artist.
Lucien Guitry died in Paris on 1 June 1925, aged 64.
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