DORIVAL, THE ACTOR.
Georges Dorival arrives in Paris, he went to the dramatic arts after the fortuitous meeting, during the Universal Exhibition of 1889, with Talbot who was giving diction lessons.
Two years later, he entered the Paris Conservatory of Dramatic Arts in the class of Daubant and Sylvain. The period of the Odéon from 1896 to 1914 was that of great success on the national and international scene, both in Paris and in the provinces. His personality and his powerful voice make him an ideal actor for the great ancient frescoes of the open-air theater that he helps to promote at the arenas of Béziers, Nîmes, Arles, at the ancient theater of Orange.
It was at this time that he did major European tours with the actress, Réjane. But this period is above all that of the triumph of Chantecler by Edmond Rostand created on February 7, 1910, with Lucien Guitry and Jean Coquelin, he will play the Grand Duke and he will in turn take the title role of the Chantecler rooster The play will go on tour triumphant abroad as far as South America. The painter Armand GUILLAUMIN who is already his friend, says in a letter his impatience to see him in this title role in which he will fully develop his talent.
Previously, in 1907, it was the DOUANIER ROUSSEAU who wrote to him that he wanted to see him in one of Catulle MENDES' plays in which he played the painter COURBET.
The French Comedy
Long mobilized for the Great War, he entered the Comédie Française on April 1, 1917, named "boarder" from 1919 until
his retirement in 1939, the year of his death. He will participate in many creations and play under the direction of Émile FABRE, Charles GRANVAL (who was also a painter and will paint his portrait), Pierre FRESNAY for Carmosine de MUSSET, then at the end of his career around 37-38, Pierre DUX for Cyrano de Bergerac de ROSTAND, by Louis JOUVET for L'illusion comique de CORNEILLE…
Dorival's class at Cours Maubel
He had taken private diction lessons at the Maubel Theater (on the site of the current Michel Galabru Theater) to prepare for entry to the Paris Conservatory of Dramatic Arts. His pride was to have trained students who had become masters, starting with René Simon who would found the famous Cours Simon. He also had a good number of students who became members of the French like Jean Weber. And a number of talented actors who had a posterity like Robert Dheri, Claude Berri, Pierre Brasseur (Claude's father) but also Pierre Renoir, and then Jean Marais who recounts deliciously in his book and in a book dedicated to him, how Dorival saved his life by resetting him at the entrance to his class, forcing him to blaze a new path (cinema with Jean Cocteau)
The movie theater
Although he is more attracted by the living scene of the theater he will turn from 1909 in many films. The cinematheque keeps a list of more than thirty films whose directors are often Charles Decroix, André Calmettes, Charles Denola.