GUITRY, SACHA

born Feb. 21, 1885, St. Petersburg, Russia died July 24, 1957, Paris original name Alexandre-georges Guitry prodigious French playwright who generally acted in his own plays. The son of the actor Lucien Guitry, Sacha was only 21 when he achieved success with his first play, Nono. This was followed by Chez les Zoaques (1906), Petite Hollande (1908), Le Scandale de Monte Carlo (1908), Le Veilleur de nuit (1911)one of his best playsand Un Beau Mariage (1911). It is difficult to draw an absolute distinction between his work as an actor and as a playwright, for his art was always to some extent in the nature of brilliant improvisation. His output was enormous: he had over 90 plays produced out of 130 that he wrote. He wrote a number of serious plays for his father to act in, including Debureau (1918), Pasteur (1919), and Branger (1920). He wrote, directed, and acted in many motion pictures, of which the best known was perhaps Roman d'un tricheur (The Cheat). His autobiography, Mmoires d'un tricheur (translated into English as If I Remember Right), appeared in 1935. He was promoted commander of the Legion of Honour in 1936 and elected to the Acadmie Goncourt in 1939. Married five times, he taught all his wives, of whom Yvonne Printemps was the most celebrated, to act.