Molière.

Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, later known as Molière, entered the world in Paris between January 13 and 15, 1622, as the son of Jean Poquelin, tapestry-maker for King Louis XIII, and Marie Cresé. His mother died when he was 10 years old, and he was sent to the Jesuit college of Clermont now Lycée Louis-le-Grand from 1638 to 1640. He studied law briefly at the Old University of Orléans, then worked as a lawyer and tapestry-maker before co-founding L’Illustre Théâtre in 1643.

Molière’s first play L’Etourdi premiered in Lyon in 1654, followed by Le Dépit amoureux in 1656. His troupe performed for King Louis XIV in 1658 and later settled at the Palais-Royal. He wrote Les Précieuses Ridicules in 1659, L’Ecole des femmes in 1662, and Tartuffe in 1664, which faced backlash from religious groups. Other plays include Le Misanthrope 1666, L’Avare 1668, Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme 1670, and Les Fourberies de Scapin 1671. He collaborated and later quarreled with Jean-Baptiste Lully over music rights in 1672.

Molière married Armande Béjart in 1662; they had three children, of whom only Esprit Madeleine survived childhood. His son Louis, born in 1664 with King Louis XIV as godfather, died before his first birthday. Another son, Pierre-Jean-Baptiste-Armand, died shortly after baptism in 1672. Molière’s health declined in the 1660s, and he died in his home on rue de Richelieu in Paris on February 17, 1673.

Molière’s comedies remain staples of French theater and are performed worldwide. He influenced playwrights like Racine and Corneille. In 2005, he was voted 8th in France 2’s poll of the greatest French persons of all time. His grave at Père Lachaise cemetery is a pilgrimage site. Tartuffe and Le Misanthrope remain his most performed satires, critiquing hypocrisy and societal norms.