The+life+of+a+famous+actress

The life of a famous actress

She was born in Jersey, where her father, a native of that island, practiced as a veterinary surgeon. Her mother’s sister was married to a Frenchman, a coal merchant, who lived at St.Malo, and Julia had been sent to live with her while she attended classes at the local lycee. She learnt to speak French like a Frenchwoman. She was a born actress and it was an understood thing for as long as she could remember that she was to go on the stage. Her aunt, Madame Falloux, was ‘en relations’ with as old actress who had been a societaire of the Comedie Francaise and who had retired to St. Malo to live on the small pension that one of her lovers had settled on her when after many years of faithful concubinage that had parted. When Julia was a child of twelve this actress was a boisterous, fat old woman of more that sixty, but of great vitality, who loved food more that anything else in the world. She had a great, ringing laugh, like a man’s, and she talked in a deep, loud voice. It was she who gave Julia her first lessons. She taught her all the arts that she had herself learnt at the Conservatoire and she talked to her of Reichenberg who had played ingйnues till she was seventy, of Sarah Bernhardt and her golden voice, of Mounet-Sully and his majesty, and of Coquelin the greatest actor of them all. She recited to her the great tirades of Corneilly and Racine as she had learned to say them at the Francaise and taught her to say them I the same way. It was charming to hear Julia in her childish voice recite those languorous, passionate speeches of Phedre, emphasizing the beat of the Alexandrines and mouthing her words in that manner which is so artificial and yet so wonderfully dramatic. Jane Taitbout must always have been a very stagy actress, but she taught Julia to articulate with extreme distinctness, she taught her not to be afraid of her own voice, and she made deliberate that wonderful sense of timing which Julia had by instinct and which afterwards was one of her greatest giftsHer own career had been singularly lacking in hardship.

She was a born actress and it was an understood thing for as long as she could remember that she was to go on the stage.

Her mother’s sister was married to a Frenchman, a coal merchant, who lived at St.Malo, and Julia had been sent to live with her while she attended classes at the local lycee. She learnt to speak French like a Frenchwoman. She was a born actress and it was an understood thing for as long as she could remember that she was to go on the stage. Her aunt, Madame Falloux, was ‘en relations’ with as old actress who had been a societaire of the Comedie Francaise and who had retired to St. Malo to live on the small pension that one of her lovers had settled on her when after many years of faithful concubinage that had parted. When Julia was a child of twelve this actress was a boisterous, fat old woman of more that sixty, but of great vitality, who loved food more that anything else in the world. She had a great, ringing laugh, like a man’s, and she talked in a deep, loud voice. It was she who gave Julia her first lessons. She taught her all the arts that she had herself learnt at the Conservatoire and she talked to her of Reichenberg who had played ingйnues till she was seventy, of Sarah Bernhardt and her golden voice, of Mounet-Sully and his majesty, and of Coquelin the greatest actor of them all.

When she was sixteen and went to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art she knew already much that they could teach her there.

When Julia was sixteen and went to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in Gower Street she knew already much that they could teach her there. She had to get rid of a certain number of tricks that were out of date and she had o acquire a more conversational style. Bu she won every prize that was open to her, and when she was finished with the school her good French got her almost immediately a small part in London as a French maid. It looked for a while as though her knowledge of French would specialize her in parts needing a foreign accent, for after this she was engaged to play an Austrian waitress.

Her face can look anything, even beautiful , the face that can show every thought that passes through the mind. Her timing is almost perfect.That could not have been taught ,she must have that by nature.

Middlepool was delighted to discover that it had in its midst an actress who it could boast was better than any star in London, and crowded to see her in plays that before it had gone to only from local patriotism.

In the war time she had been playing a succession of important parts and was recognized as the best of the younger actresses.(p 62) Throughout the war the theatre was very prosperous and she profited by being seen in plays that had long runs. When she was pregnant she was so well established on the stage that she could afford not to appear for a few months.

Julia was not a brilliant conversationalist, but her eyes were so bright, her manner so intelligent, that once she had learned the language of society she passed for a very amusing woman. She had a great gift of mimicry, which ordinarily she kept in circles she turned it to good account and by means of it acquired the reputation of a wit. She was pleased that they liked her, these smart, idle women, but she laughed at them up her sleeve because they were dazzled by her glamour. She wondered what they would think if they really knew how unromantic the life of a successful actress was, the hard work it entailed, the constant care one had to take of oneself and the regular, monotonous habits which wre essential. But she good-naturedly offered them advice on make-up and let them cope her clothes. She was always beautifully dressed. Even Michael, fondly thinking she got her clothes for nothing, did not know how much she really spent on them.

Morally she had the best of both worlds. Everyone knew that her marriage with Michael was exemplary. She was a pattern of conjugal fidelity.

Julia often went to the luncheon parties he was fond of giving at his house in Hill Street. At the bottom of her heart she had a profound contempt for the great ladies and the noble lords she met there, because she was a working woman and an artist, but she knew the connexion was useful...Julia was not a brilliant conversationalist, but her eyes were so bright, her manner so intelligent, that once she had learnt the language of society she passed for a very amusing woman. She had a great gift of mimicry, which ordinarily she kept in check thinking it was bad for her acting, but in these circles she turned it to good accout and by means of it acquired the reputation of a wit. She was pleased that they liked her, these smart, idle women, but she laughed at them up her sleeve because they were dazzled by her glamour. She wondered what they would think if they really knew how unromantic the life of a successful actress was, the hard work it entailed, the constant care one had to take of oneself and the regular, monotonous habits which were essential. But she good-naturedly offered them advice on make-up and let them copy her clothes."