Death of the actor Roland Bertin, a figure of the Comédie-Française

The renowned actor Roland Bertin, an emblematic figure of the Comédie-Française and starring in around fifty films, passed away at the age of 93. Eric Ruf, the general administrator of the institution, announced the sad news in a statement released on Tuesday. "I have just learned of the passing last night of Roland Bertin, a member and towering figure of our House," wrote Eric Ruf, adding that the theater actor "passed away peacefully at his retirement home in Pont l'Abbé, Brittany."

Having joined the Comédie-Française in 1982, Roland Bertin, who founded the current National Dramatic Center of Burgundy, became a member from 1983 to 2001. During these years, "he played, among others, under the direction of Jorge Lavelli, Jean-Paul Roussillon, Jean-Luc Boutté, Jacques Lassalle, Klaus-Michaël Grüber, Claude Régy, Antoine Vitez, Jean-Louis Benoit, or Philippe Adrien."

He portrayed numerous leading roles including the title role in Chekhov's "Ivanov ," the Bishop in Jean Genet's "The Balcony ," Monsieur Jourdain in Molière's "The Bourgeois Gentleman," or Christophe in Aimé Césaire's "The Tragedy of King Christophe ," as indicated by the institution.

"Antoine Vitez directed him in his final production and one of his favorite roles, Galileo in Bertolt Brecht's 'Life of Galileo' in 1990," it adds.

He also tackled "more contemporary texts like Samuel Beckett's 'Endgame'."

In 2009, he was awarded the Molière for Best Supporting Actor "for his monumental presence in Shakespeare's 'Coriolanus' at the TNP Villeurbanne," notes the French.

Roland Bertin also had a prolific career in cinema, starring in "over fifty films," according to the institution. He notably appeared in films by André Téchiné ("The Brontë Sisters"), Patrice Chéreau ("The Flesh of the Orchid," "The Wounded Man"), or Jean-Paul Rappeneau ("Cyrano de Bergerac"). On television, he featured in Marcel Bluwal's adaptation of "Les Misérables."