Joseph Torin

alt=caricature of a large white man of middle age, with a prominent paunch. He is smiling benevolently Joseph Torin (né Joseph Victorin Schiffer; 9 August 1849 – 18 March 1907), was a French actor of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was particularly known for his comic roles in plays by Georges Feydeau, Maurice Hennequin, Georges Duval, Gaston Arman de Caillavet, Robert de Flers and other contemporary playwrights.

Life and career Torin was born in Chalon-sur-Saône on 9 August 1849. He first acted in an amateur company in Lyon and as a professional he toured in the provinces and abroad in supporting roles in companies headed by Sarah Bernhardt, Gabrielle Réjane, Jeanne Granier, Anna Judic and Jane Hading. In Paris he joined the company of the Théâtre du Gymnase in 1885. He was subsequently a member, in increasingly important roles, of the companies at the Théâtre du Vaudeville, Théâtre de l'Ambigu-Comique and the Théâtre des Nouveautés.

A large man – Le Figaro remarked on "la corpulence de Torin" – he died of congestion of the lungs after an unwisely energetic visit to a gym. He was buried in his native Chalon-sur-Saône.