Roger Blin
Born
March 22, 1907
Died
January 20, 1984 (76 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
Neuilly-sur-Seine, Seine [now Hauts-de-Seine], France
Roger Blin (Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, 22 March 1907 – Évecquemont, France, 21 January 1984) was a French actor and director. He staged world premieres of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot in 1953 and Endgame in 1957.
Blin was the son of a doctor; however, despite his father's wishes, Blin forged a career in the theatre. As a teenager he was 'fascinated' by the Surrealists and their conception of revolutionary art.
He was initially part of the left-wing theatre collectives The Company of Five and The October Group. In 1935 Blin served as Antonin Artaud's assistant director for his production of Les Cenci [The Cenci] at the Folies-Wagrams theatre in 1935. Following his work with Artaud, Blin focused on 'political street-theatre.'
During the war, Blin was a liaison between the Resistance and the French Army.
His extensive career as both director and actor in both film and theatre has been largely defined by his work and relationship with Artaud, Samuel Beckett and Jean Genet. In addition to being a close friend and confidant of Artaud during the latter's nine years of internment, he directed the first performances of Beckett's Waiting For Godot, Happy Days and Endgame as well as directing the initial performance of Genet's The Blacks and the controversial The Screens. Genet's key correspondences to Blin have been published by Editions Gallimard.
The 1986 Faber and Faber publication, "Samuel Beckett: The Complete Dramatic Works" carries only three dedications from Beckett: "Endgame" is dedicated to Blin, while "Come and Go" is for John Calder, and "Catastrophe" is for Václav Havel.
Source: Article "Roger Blin" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Known For
Le Fantôme de Laurent Terzieff
Self (archive footage)
2020
The Hospital of Leningrad
Nestor
1983
Vendredi ou la vie sauvage
1983
Five and the Skin
Récitant (voice)
1982
The King and the Mockingbird
L’aveugle (voice)
1980
The Adolescent
Romain
1979
The Old Country Where Rimbaud Died
Jeanne's father
1977
Jamais plus toujours
Daniel
1976
One Must Live Dangerously
Murdoc
1975
Aloïse
Le professeur de chant
1975
That Most Important Thing: Love
Servais' Father
1975
The Shadow Line
Burns
1973
Too Small My Friend
Boris
1971
The Companions of Baal
Dominique Marchesini
1970
L'illusion comique
Alcandre
1970
Law of Survival
Pao
1967
The Sunday of Life
Jean Sans-Tête
1967
The Devil's Tricks
Monsieur de Beaurepaire
1966
Qui donc a rêvé ?
1965
Little Claus and Big Claus
Le grand Claus
1964
Marie Soleil
Karl / Boss
1964
A Taste for Women
Larsen
1964
Egypt, oh Egypt: Images of Heaven
Narrator (voice)
1963
Quatrevingt-treize
Tellmarc’h
1962
The Star Ship
Curtway
1962
Paris Blues
Fausto the Moor (uncredited)
1961
Les trois soeurs
Verchinine
1960
Checkerboard
Slim, le guide
1959
Stars at Noon
Self
1959
Calligraphie Japonaise
Narrator
1958
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Mathias Hungadi
1956
The Amazing Mr. Callaghan
Wladimir
1955
The Invitation to the Waltz
Guillaume l'égorgeur
1954
The Knight of the Night
le valet
1953
The Curious Adventures of Mr. Wonderbird
Blind Man (Voice)
1953
Piédalu fait des miracles
1952
Torticola versus Frankensberg
Doctor Frankenstein
1952
Adventures of Captain Fabian
1951
The Convict
Convict
1951
Orpheus
The Poet
1950
Vagabonds imaginaires
Narrator (segment 'Les amours jaunes') (voice)
1950
Wicked City
Emilio
1949
Strange Tales
Guillaume
1949
Passionnelle
Julien
1947
The Ideal Couple
The sleepwalker
1946
The Last Judgment
1945
The Bohemian Life
Man of the puppet
1945
First in Line
Paul Moury
1944
Colonel Chabert
Cleric
1943
Douce
Man of the theater (uncredited)
1943
Le Corbeau
François
1943
Adieu Léonard
Bohemian leader
1943
Captain Fracasse
Fagotin
1943
The Devil's Envoys
The Monster Showman
1942
The Trump Card
Aspirant
1942
L'âge d'or
1942
Volpone
Un vénitien
1941
Beating Heart
1940
The World Will Shake
Le Condamné
1939
Louise
(uncredited)
1939
Pasha's Wives
Mair
1939
Adrienne Lecouvreur
1938
The Curtain Rises
Dominique, le gardien du château de la famille de Cécilia
1938
The Time of the Cherries
Dupuis son
1938
Alibi
1937
The Life and Loves of Beethoven
De Ries
1937
Jenny
le malade solitaire
1936
Life Is Ours
Un métallo
1936
Street Without a Name
1934
Le Colisée
The Crowd
1933