Georges Pitoëff
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Georgy Ivanovich Pitoyev (Russian: Георгий Иванович Питоев, romanized: Georgiy Ivanovich Pitoyev; born Gevorg Ovanesovich Pitoyan [Геворг Ованесович Питоян]; 4 September 1884 – 17 September 1939), known as Georges Pitoëff, was a Russian-French stage actor and director. He was a prominent figure in the French theatre during the early-20th-century.
4 September 1884
Georges Pitoëff | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Gevorg Ovanesovich Pitoyan 4 September 1884 |
| Died | 17 September 1939 (aged 55) Bellevue, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 7, including Sacha |
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 origins. His father, Ivan Pitoyev (Hovannes Pitoyan) was the director of the Tiflis Imperial Theatre. He studied at Moscow State University and St. Petersburg State Transport University. After studying and graduating in law at the University of Paris, he switched his focus to a career in the theatre. Back in Russia, Pitoëff trained with Konstantin Stanislavski.[1]:45
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.[2]
He was a recipient of the Legion d'honeur.
Personal life
Pitoëff married actress Ludmilla Pitoëff in 1915. 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.
