Jean-Gaspard Deburau

Jean- Gaspard Deburau (sometimes Jean -Baptiste, Baptiste, also Debureau; actually January Kaspar Dvořák; born July 31, 1796 in Kolin, Bohemia, † June 17, 1846 in Paris) was a Bohemian- French mime.

Life

He was the son of the tightrope walker Philippe Germain Deburau and domestic workers Katerina Králová (also called Catherine Graff ) was born in the Bohemian town of Kolin. In 1811, his family came to Paris and settled there in the Rue Saint -Maur, where she was artistic ideas.

Deburau soon became the flagship of the Théâtre des Funambules. The typical for him tragic stage character of Pierrot, a robed in flowing white robes moonstruck lovers who suffers in silence, stood in contrast to the characters of the melodramas that were at that time in vogue. His representations in the field of pantomime were closely connected with this figure, which was based on the mask of Pedrolino the Italian commedia dell'arte, which he, however, had adjusted to the taste of the Parisian audience.

Deburau also was a master in stick fighting. When he killed the attackers in a raid with a stick strike to defend his wife, and therefore had to appear in court, there were numerous spectators to hear him speak again. Became famous 1854 photo taken by Nadar, showing Charles Deburau with a camera.

Deburau died in Paris and was interred there in the Père Lachaise Cemetery. After his death, his son Charles Deburau (1829-1873) took over the development of his father figure and helped to establish the French Pierrot as a stage character.

Trivia

In the resulting 1938 German feature film Dance on the Volcano Jean- Gaspard Deburau of Gustaf is embodied.

Jean- Louis Barrault embodied in 1945 in the film Children of Paradise an interpretation: the figure (sic) Baptist Deburau.