Alice Regnault

Alice Regnault (born Augustine-Alexandrine Toulet; 5 February 1849 – 12 July 1931) was a French actress and courtesan.

Her theatrical career began in 1868, after the death of her first husband. Critics praised her for her beauty and talent, and she performed in a large number of roles throughout her career. She retired from the stage in 1883, at the age of 34. She briefly worked as a journalist, and published two novels: Mademoiselle Pomme (1886) and La Famille Carmettes (1888).

She is known for secretly marrying the French writer Octave Mirbeau, in May 1887, while they were in London.

Early life Augustine-Alexandrine Toulet was born to Edmond Désiré Toulet and Louise Hermanjat in the former 1st Arrondissement of Paris. Her father worked as a house painter. In 1865, at the age of 16, she married her first husband, a tool maker named Jules Louise Renard. They had a son together in 1866 named Édouard, who would be her only child. When her husband died in 1868, she and her son were left in poverty, and so to support them she started her theatrical career and became a courtesan.

Career Regnault's first acting and vocal teacher was Auguste Coédès, a French composer. While performing at a concert, she was discovered by the prolific operetta composer Jacques Offernbach. She appeared in many of Offenbach's operettas throughout her career as well as operettas by other composers. She was well known for appearing in Les Trône d'Ecosse by Hervé as Julia, a horse guard. After her performance in that show she was offered a role in Les Sceptiques at the Théâtre de Cluny. From 1872 until at least 1876, she studied at the National Conservatory of Dramatic Art with François-Joseph Regnier, a well known teacher and former actor at the Théâtre-Français.

In 1874 she began performing with the Théâtre du Palais-Royal, a prestigious theater and she became even more well known. Even her more negative reviews admitted that she was very beautiful and elegant. Towards the end of her career she travelled to Brussels to act in Divorçons playing the role of Chaumont. In 1880, after returning from this trip, she attempted to gain a position at the Comédie-Française, though she did not succeed. She has only one recorded performance after this rejection, at the Théâtre du Vaudeville.

Théâtre des Variétés

1869 - La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein by Jacques Offenbach 1869 - Les Brigands by Jacques Offenbach 1872 - Le Tour du Cadran by Henry Bocage 1873 - La Maison du mari by Xavier de Montépin and Victor Kervani

Théâtre du Palais-Royal

1874 - Le Homard by Edmond Gondinet 1878 - La Femme de chambre by Paul Ferrier, role of la femme de chambre 1878 - Petite Correspondance by Najac and Hennequin 1878 - Paris sans cocher by Paul Ferrier 1878 - L'Âge ingrat by Edouard Pailleron 1880 - Andréa by Victorien Sardou She appeared in another painting in the 1880 Salon, L’Amazone by Louise Abbéma, which shows her on stairs outside of Sarah Bernhardt's home in a riding habit. Her third portrait, this time by Gustave Courtois, appeared in the 1888 Salon. She also posed for numerous photographs for Bacard Fils, André-Adolphe-Eugène Disderi and Nadar.

Later life After retiring from the stage Regnault pursued writing. She published her first book, Mademoiselle Pomme in 1886 and her second, La Famille Carmettes, in 1888. She also worked as a journalist under the pseudonym of Mitaine de Soie at the newspaper Le Gaulois. In 1887, she secretly married the French writer Octave Mirbeau in London, whom she had been in a relationship with for three years. Mirbeau died in 1917 and after his death, she published the fictitious Testament politique d’Octave Mirbeau, which was in fact written by former anti-militarist and pacifist Gustave Hervé. Sacha Guitry dramatized this event in his 1923 comedy, Un sujet de roman. Alice Regnault died in Triel-sur-Seine on 12 July 1931 at the age of 82.