DANCOURT, Florent Carton (1661-1725), French dramatist and actor, was born at Fontainebleau on the 1st November 1661. He belonged to a family of rank, and his parents intrusted his education to Father De la Rue, a Jesuit, who made earnest but fruitless efforts to induce him to join the order. Preserving his freedom he studied law, became an advocate, and engaged for a short time in the practice of his profession. His marriage to the daughter of the celebrated comedian La Thorilli&re led him to adopt the career of an actor, and in 1685, in spite of the strong opposition of his family, he appeared on the stage of the Theatre Frangais. His power of facial expression, vivacity of manner, and fluency of utterance gave him immediate and marked success, both with the public and with his fellow actors. The latter chose him for their spokesman on occasions of state, and in this capacity he frequently appeared before Louis XIV., who treated him with great favour. As a dramatic author Dancourt was exceedingly prolific, and as an almost necessary consequence somewhat unequal. His first play, Le Notaire obligeant, produced in 1685, was so well received as to lead its author speedily to repeat the experiment. La Desolation des Jouenses (1686) was still more successful; and Le Chevalier d la Mode (1687) is generally regarded as his best work, though his claim to original authorship in this and some other cases has been disputed. These were followed by others in constant succession till 1718, when he terminated his career both as an actor and as an author. Retiring to a chateau at Courcelles le Roi, in Berry, he employed himself in making a poetical translation of the psalms and in writing a sacred tragedy. He died on the 6th December 1725, and was buried in a tomb he had caused to be ...