Paul Capellani
French postcard by A.N., Paris, no. 52. The name is misspelled on the card.
Paul Capellani (1877-1960) was a stage and film actor who was active in French and American silent film. He was the younger brother of film director of the silent era Albert Capellani.
Born in Paris in 1877, Paul Capellani studied at the Conservatory. With his good looks and small moustache he soon became one of the jeunes premiers of the French Belle Epoque theatre. At the zenith of his theatrical success, his brother Albert called him in 1908 to act in his films for the SCAGL, a subsection of Pathé Frères which focused on adaptations of famous French stage plays. Capellani thus played in films like L’Arlésienne (1908) by Daudet, L’Assommoir (1908) by Zola, La tour de Nesle (1909) by Dumas sr., La peau de chagrin (1909) by Balzac, and Hernani (1910) by Hugo. He played opposite famous actresses of the new medium like Stacia Napierkowska. From 1910 on, Paul continued to play with his brother but alternated with films by other French film directors of the 1910s, such as George Denola, Michel LeCarré, Georges Monca, André Calmettes and Camille de Morlhon. In 1911 Paul Capellani shortly worked as scriptwriter as well when adapting Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables. It was directed by Paul’s brother Albert and starred Henry Krauss as Jean Valjean. It was probably the first feature on which Paul collaborated, but it also marked the passage from onereelers to feature-length films in French cinema at large. Memorable leading acting roles of Paul Capellani in subsequent feature films in those years were in Les Mystères de Paris (Albert Capellani 1912), La maison du baigneur (Capellani 1913) with Gabriel de Gravone, La Glu (Capellani 1913) starring Mistinguett, Germinal (Capellani 1913), and Patrie (Capellani 1914).
When the First World War broke out, the French film industry slowed down and the two Capellani brothers went to the United States. There Paul’s first role was that of Armand Duval in the adaptation of Dumas fils’ play La dame aux camellias: Camille (Capellani 1915), starring American actress Clara Kimball Young as the unfortunate title character. Scriptwriter was the later famous Frances Marion. Kimball Young and Paul Capellani were again paired in The Feast of Life (1916), The Dark Silence (1916), The Foolish Virgin (1916), The Common Law (1916); all directed by Paul’s brother Albert. During his stay in the US, Paul Capellani also played opposite Alice Brady in La vie de Bohème (Capellani 1916), Marion’s adaptation of Henry Murger’s novel, opposite Rita Jolivet in One Law for Both (Ivan Abramson 1916), and opposite Anna Murdock in The Richest Girl (Capellani 1918).
After the war, Capellani returned to France, where he played in Marcel L’Herbier’s Le bercail (1919) starring Jaque Catelain and Marcelle Pradot, L’étau (Maurice Mariaud 1920), Le carnaval des vérités (L’ Herbier 1920) with again Pradot and Catelain, André Antoine’s adaptation of Hugo: Quatre-vingt-treize (1921), and Suzanne et les brigands (Charles Burguet) with Suzanne Grandais. In 1922 Capellani played in Phroso by Louis Mercanton, about an Englishman (Reginald Owen) who purchases an island where a mysterious woman (Malvina Longfellow) rules. Other actors were Capellani’s wife Jeanne Desclos and a young Charles Vanel.
After 1922, Paul Capellani hardly did any films anymore, and focused on sculpting. His last roles were parts in two early French Paramount sound films: La lettre (Louis Mercanton 1930) after a play by Somerset Maugham and scripted by Monta Bell, and the male lead in Une femme a menti (1930), directed by Charles de Rochefort. After the death of his brother Albert in 1931, Paul quitted acting altogether and withdrew to the Cote d’ Azur. There he died in Cagnes-sur-Mer in 1960, at the age of 83; forgotten, despite a big career.
Sources: CinéArtistes, IMDb.
Paul Capellani
French postcard by A.N., Paris, no. 52. The name is misspelled on the card.
Paul Capellani (1877-1960) was a stage and film actor who was active in French and American silent film. He was the younger brother of film director of the silent era Albert Capellani.
Born in Paris in 1877, Paul Capellani studied at the Conservatory. With his good looks and small moustache he soon became one of the jeunes premiers of the French Belle Epoque theatre. At the zenith of his theatrical success, his brother Albert called him in 1908 to act in his films for the SCAGL, a subsection of Pathé Frères which focused on adaptations of famous French stage plays. Capellani thus played in films like L’Arlésienne (1908) by Daudet, L’Assommoir (1908) by Zola, La tour de Nesle (1909) by Dumas sr., La peau de chagrin (1909) by Balzac, and Hernani (1910) by Hugo. He played opposite famous actresses of the new medium like Stacia Napierkowska. From 1910 on, Paul continued to play with his brother but alternated with films by other French film directors of the 1910s, such as George Denola, Michel LeCarré, Georges Monca, André Calmettes and Camille de Morlhon. In 1911 Paul Capellani shortly worked as scriptwriter as well when adapting Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables. It was directed by Paul’s brother Albert and starred Henry Krauss as Jean Valjean. It was probably the first feature on which Paul collaborated, but it also marked the passage from onereelers to feature-length films in French cinema at large. Memorable leading acting roles of Paul Capellani in subsequent feature films in those years were in Les Mystères de Paris (Albert Capellani 1912), La maison du baigneur (Capellani 1913) with Gabriel de Gravone, La Glu (Capellani 1913) starring Mistinguett, Germinal (Capellani 1913), and Patrie (Capellani 1914).
When the First World War broke out, the French film industry slowed down and the two Capellani brothers went to the United States. There Paul’s first role was that of Armand Duval in the adaptation of Dumas fils’ play La dame aux camellias: Camille (Capellani 1915), starring American actress Clara Kimball Young as the unfortunate title character. Scriptwriter was the later famous Frances Marion. Kimball Young and Paul Capellani were again paired in The Feast of Life (1916), The Dark Silence (1916), The Foolish Virgin (1916), The Common Law (1916); all directed by Paul’s brother Albert. During his stay in the US, Paul Capellani also played opposite Alice Brady in La vie de Bohème (Capellani 1916), Marion’s adaptation of Henry Murger’s novel, opposite Rita Jolivet in One Law for Both (Ivan Abramson 1916), and opposite Anna Murdock in The Richest Girl (Capellani 1918).
After the war, Capellani returned to France, where he played in Marcel L’Herbier’s Le bercail (1919) starring Jaque Catelain and Marcelle Pradot, L’étau (Maurice Mariaud 1920), Le carnaval des vérités (L’ Herbier 1920) with again Pradot and Catelain, André Antoine’s adaptation of Hugo: Quatre-vingt-treize (1921), and Suzanne et les brigands (Charles Burguet) with Suzanne Grandais. In 1922 Capellani played in Phroso by Louis Mercanton, about an Englishman (Reginald Owen) who purchases an island where a mysterious woman (Malvina Longfellow) rules. Other actors were Capellani’s wife Jeanne Desclos and a young Charles Vanel.
After 1922, Paul Capellani hardly did any films anymore, and focused on sculpting. His last roles were parts in two early French Paramount sound films: La lettre (Louis Mercanton 1930) after a play by Somerset Maugham and scripted by Monta Bell, and the male lead in Une femme a menti (1930), directed by Charles de Rochefort. After the death of his brother Albert in 1931, Paul quitted acting altogether and withdrew to the Cote d’ Azur. There he died in Cagnes-sur-Mer in 1960, at the age of 83; forgotten, despite a big career.
Sources: CinéArtistes, IMDb.