Georges Pitoëff

Georges Pitoëff
Born
Gevorg Ovanesovich Pitoyan

(1884-09-04)4 September 1884
Tiflis, Tiflis Governorate, Russian Empire
(now Tbilisi, Georgia)
Died17 September 1939(1939-09-17) (aged 55)
Bellevue, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland
Education
OccupationActor
Spouse
​
(m. 1915)​
Children7, including Sacha

Georges Pitoëff (Russian: Георгий Питоев; 4 September 1884 – 17 September 1939) was a Russian-born French stage actor and director with an Armenian background. He became one of the leading actors and directors in France.

Early life and education

Pitoëff was born Gevorg Ovanesovich Pitoyan on 4 September 1884 in Tiflis, Russian Empire (now Tbilisi, Georgia) to prominent Russian-born parents of Armenian origin. His father was the director of the Tiflis Imperial Theatre. After studying and graduating in law at Paris University, he switched his focus to a career in the theatre. Back in Russia, Pitoëff trained with Konstantin Stanislavski.

Career

In France he became a theatre director and producer, noted for his popularization of the works of contemporary playwrights, especially George Bernard Shaw, Anton Chekhov, Arthur Schnitzler, Henrik Ibsen, and Eugene O'Neill. He was a founding member of the Cartel des Quatre (Group of Four), a group including Louis Jouvet, Charles Dullin, and Gaston Baty, dedicated to rejuvenating the French theatre.

Personal life

Pitoëff married actress Ludmilla Pitoëff in 1915.[citation needed] One of their sons, Alexandre, known as Sacha Pitoëff, was himself a noted theatre director and actor.

Death

Pitoëff died on 17 September 1939 in Bellevue, near Geneva, Switzerland.

References

  1. ↑ Shafer, David A. (2016). Antonin Artaud. London, UK. ISBN 978-1-78023-601-8. OCLC 954427932.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ↑ Jomaron, Jacqueline (1979). Georges Pitoëff Metteur En Scène. Lausanne, Switzerland: L'age D'homme.

Further reading