Roger Blin


Roger Blin was a French actor and director. He staged the world premieres of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot in 1953 and Endgame in 1957.

Biography

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.:35
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 at the Folies-Wagrams theatre in 1935.:35 Following his work with Artaud, Blin focused on 'political street-theatre.':46
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. Samuel Beckett, in a letter to George Duthuit, said that he thought Blin wasn't a great actor nor director, but he had a great love for the theater.
In the 1970's Blin co-directed the clown performance, Les Assiettes with Philippe Gaulier. The performance starred Gaulier and Pierre Byland breaking 200 plates every night. The piece became a legendary hit in Paris, performing extensively at the Odéon Théâtre de l'Europe and touring internationally.
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.

Partial filmography

Street Without a Name Zouzou – Le témoin du meurtre The Mutiny of the Elsinore – Un marinRazumov: Sous les yeux d'occident – Life Belongs to Us – Un métalloJenny – Le Malade solitaireBeethoven's Great Love – de RiesThe Citadel of Silence – Un officierLa dame de pique – The Alibi – Kretz, l'homme de main de WincklerLe temps des cerises – Le fils DupuisRasputin – Le jeune paysan The Lafarge Case – Le journalierAdrienne Lecouvreur – l'alchimisteThe Curtain Rises – DominiqueThe White Slave – MaïrLouise – Un rapin The World Will Tremble – Le condamnéBattement de coeur Volpone – Un vénitien L'âge d'or The Trump Card – Un aspirantLes Visiteurs du Soir – Le montreur de monstresCaptain Fracasse – Fagotin / FagottinoGoodbye Leonard – Le chef bohémienLe Corbeau – FrançoisLove Story – L'homme du théâtre Colonel Chabert – Un ClercFirst on the Rope – Paul MouryLa vie de bohème The Last Judgment The Ideal Couple – Le somnambulePassionnelle – JulienWicked City – EmilioHistoires extraordinaires – GuillaumeOrpheus – The PoetVagabonds imaginaires – Le récitant The Convict – Un bagnardAdventures of Captain Fabian – PhilippeThe King and the Mockingbird – L'aveugle Piédalu Works Miracles Le Chevalier de la nuit – Le domestiqueYour Turn, Callaghan – WladimirThe Hunchback of Notre Dame – Mathias HungadiLes Tripes au soleil – SlimParis Blues – Fausto the Moor A Taste for Women – LarsenMarie Soleil – Karl / BossLes ruses du diable – Monsieur de BeaurepaireLe Dimanche de la vie – Jean Sans-TêteLa loi du survivant – PaoTrop petit mon ami – BorisTraîté du rossignol – Lars LarsenDada au coeur – MaxL'important c'est d'aimer – Servais's fatherAloïse – Le professeur de chantLily, aime-moi – Lily's fatherIl faut vivre dangereusement – MurdocNevermore, Forever – DanielThe Old Country Where Rimbaud Died – Le père de JeanneSolveig et le violon turc The Adolescent – RomainFive and the Skin – Récitant