Firmin Gémier

Actor · Director

Aubervilliers, Seine [now Seine-Saint-Denis, Île-de-France], France

February 21, 1869

Biography

Firmin Gémier (1869–1933) was a French actor and director. Internationally, he is most famous for originating the role of Père Ubu in Alfred Jarry’s play Ubu Roi. He is known as the principal architect of the popular theatre movement in France. Gémier began his career as an actor in melodramas for working class actors, before going on to direct six different theaters, including the Théâtre Antoine and the Odéon.