Sacha Guitry.

Born on February 21, 1885 in St. Petersburg, Russian Empire, Sacha Guitry was the son of actor Lucien Guitry and Renée Delmas. His godfather was Czar Alexander III, which gave him the first name Alexandre. He attended Lycée Janson-de-Sailly in Paris, but his studies were mediocre because he knew early on he wanted to be an artist.

Sacha Guitry’s first major success came in 1905 with his comedies Le K.W.T.Z and Nono. He returned to acting in 1907 in his own play Chez les Zoaques. In 1916, he directed his first film, the documentary Ceux de chez nous. After a hiatus from film, he returned in 1935 to direct and star in Pasteur, a biography of Louis Pasteur. The following year, he released four films, including Le Roman d’un tricheur The Story of a Cheat, which became his most innovative work. He continued directing throughout the 1930s and 1940s, making historical fantasies like Les perles de la couronne 1937 and Remontons les Champs Élysées 1938. During the occupation, he filmed Le Destin fabuleux de Désiré Clary 1942 and La Malibran 1944. After the war and a brief imprisonment, he returned with Le Diable boîteux 1948 and later La Poison 1951, Si Versailles m’était conté 1953, Napoléon 1954, and Si Paris nous était conté 1956. He completed his career with two comedies in 1955 and 1957.

Sacha Guitry was married five times, each to an actress who had co-starred in his works. His first wife was Charlotte Lysès; they divorced in 1918 after she claimed to have visited a church that had been destroyed hours earlier by a German shell. He then married Yvonne Printemps, followed by Jacqueline Delubac, Geneviève Guitry, and finally Lana Marconi. Guitry had a brother, Jean Guitry, who helped stage his first play in 1902. During the occupation of Paris, Guitry maintained a lavish lifestyle, and after the liberation he was arrested and held for two months before being cleared of collaboration charges.

Sacha Guitry left behind over 120 plays, countless witty sayings known as bons mots, and a reputation as a flamboyant, controversial figure. His films, often shot quickly and dialogue-heavy, were initially held in low esteem by critics but have since been reappraised. Le Roman d’un tricheur is now considered his most innovative film, and La Poison 1951 is a standout in his career. Guitry served as a role model for the title character in the 1995 film The King of Paris, portrayed by Philippe Noiret. He was the subject of the first published theatrical caricature by Al Hirschfeld. Guitry died in Paris in 1957 and is buried in the Montmartre Cemetery.