Coquelin, BENOIT CONSTANT

Coquelin, BENOIT CONSTANT, actor, born in 1841 at Boulogne, where his father was a baker, was admitted to the Conservatoire in 1859, and having gained the second prize for comedy, made his début at the Théâtre Français, December 7, 1860, as Gros-René in the Dépit Amoureux. For over a quarter of a century he played here with unbroken success, both in classical pieces and in rôles created by himself; in the broader aspects of comedy, standing without a rival. He left the Théâtre Français in 1886, and appeared in 1887 in London, in 1888 in South America and the United States.