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BAPTISTE

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Originally appearing in Volume V03, Page 370 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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BAPTISTE . See also:

NICOLAS See also:ANSELME (1761-1835), See also:French actor, was See also:born in See also:Bordeaux on the 18th of See also:June 1761, the See also:elder son of See also:Joseph See also:Francois Anselme, a popular actor. His See also:mother played leading parts in tragedy, and both his parents enjoyed the See also:protection of See also:Voltaire and the friendship of See also:Lekain. It was probably under the auspices of the latter that Nicolas Anselme made his first See also:appearance as de See also:Belloy in Gaston et See also:Bayard; and shortly afterwards, under the name of Baptiste, he made a See also:contract to See also:play See also:young See also:lover parts at See also:Arras, where he also appeared in See also:opera and even in See also:pantomime. From See also:Rouen, where he had three successful: years, his reputation spread to See also:Paris and he was summoned to the new See also:theatre which the comedian See also:Langlois-Courcelles had just founded, and where he succeeded, not only in making an engagement for himself, but in bringing all his See also:family, See also:father, mother, wife and See also:brother. They were thus distinguished in the playbills: Baptiste, aine, Baptiste pere, Baptiste See also:cadet, Madame Baptiste See also:mere, Madame Baptiste bru. This resulted in the See also:pun of calling a play in which they all appeared une piece de baptistes. Nicolas soon obtained the public favour. specially in La Martelliere's mediocre See also:Robert, chef de brigands, and as See also:Count Almaviva in See also:Beaumarchais' La Mere coupable. His success in this was so See also:great that the See also:directors of the Theatre de la Republique--who had already secured See also:Talma, See also:Dugazon and Madame Vestris—hastened to obtain his services, and, in See also:order to get him at once (1793), paid the 20,000 francs forfeit which he was obliged to surrender on breaking his contract. Later he, as well as his younger brother, became societaire. Nicolas took all the leading parts in See also:comedy and tragedy. As he See also:grew older his See also:special forte See also:lay in See also:noble fathers.

After a brilliant career of thrity-five years of uninterrupted service, he retired in 1828. But, after the revolution of 1830, when the Theatre See also:

Francais was in great straits, the See also:brothers Baptiste came to the See also:rescue, reappeared on the See also:stage and helped to bring back its prosperity. The elder died in Paris on the 1st of See also:December 1835. The younger brother, See also:Paul Eustache Anselme, known as BAPTISTE cadet (1765-1839), was also a comedian of great See also:talent, and had a See also:long and brilliant career at the Comedic Francaise, where he made his debut in 1792 in L' Amour et l'intgrPt.

End of Article: BAPTISTE

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