Roger Blin (Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, 22 March 1907 – Évecquemont, France, 21 January 1984) was a French actor and director. He staged world premieres of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot in 1953 and Endgame in 1957. Blin was the son of a doctor; however, despite his father's wishes, Blin forged a career in the theatre. As a teenager he was 'fascinated' by the Surrealists and their conception of revolutionary art. He was initially part of the left-wing theatre collectives The Company of Five and The October Group. In 1935 Blin served as Antonin Artaud's assistant director for his production of Les Cenci [The Cenci] at the Folies-Wagrams theatre in 1935. Following his work with Artaud, Blin focused on 'political street-theatre.' During the war, Blin was a liaison between the Resistance and the French Army. His extensive career as both director and actor in both film and theatre has been largely defined by his work and relationship with Artaud, Samuel Beckett and Jean Genet. In addition to being a close friend and confidant of Artaud during the latter's nine years of internment, he directed the first performances of Beckett's Waiting For Godot, Happy Days and Endgame as well as directing the initial performance of Genet's The Blacks and the controversial The Screens. Genet's key correspondences to Blin have been published by Editions Gallimard. The 1986 Faber and Faber publication, "Samuel Beckett: The Complete Dramatic Works" carries only three dedications from Beckett: "Endgame" is dedicated to Blin, while "Come and Go" is for John Calder, and "Catastrophe" is for Václav Havel. Source: Article "Roger Blin" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Filmography

• 1983The Hospital of Leningrad — Nestor
• 1983Vendredi ou la vie sauvage
• 1982Five and the Skin — Récitant (voice)
• 1980The King and the Mockingbird — L’aveugle (voice)
• 1979The Adolescent — Romain
• 1977The Old Country Where Rimbaud Died — Jeanne's father
• 1976Nevermore, Forever — Daniel
• 1975Aloïse — Le professeur de chant
• 1975One Must Live Dangerously — Murdoc
• 1975That Most Important Thing: Love — Servais' Father
• 1973The Shadow Line — Burns
• 1971Mesure pour Mesure — Le Duc Vincentio
• 1971Too Small My Friend — Boris
• 1970L'illusion comique — Alcandre
• 1967La Plaie et le Couteau, Charles Baudelaire
• 1967Law of Survival — Pao
• 1967The Sunday of Life — Jean Sans-Tête
• 1966The Devil's Tricks — Monsieur de Beaurepaire
• 1965Qui donc a rêvé?
• 1964A Taste for Women — Larsen
• 1964Little Claus and Big Claus — Le grand Claus
• 1964Marie Soleil — Karl / Boss
• 1963Egypt, oh Egypt: Images of Heaven — Narrator (voice)
• 1962Quatrevingt-treize — Tellmarc’h
• 1962The Star Ship — Curtway
• 1961Paris Blues — Fausto the Moor (uncredited)
• 1960Les Trois Sœurs — Verchinine
• 1959Checkerboard — Slim, le guide
• 1958Calligraphie Japonaise — Narrator
• 1956The Hunchback of Notre Dame — Mathias Hungadi
• 1955The Amazing Mr. Callaghan — Wladimir
• 1954The Invitation to the Waltz — Guillaume l'égorgeur
• 1953The Curious Adventures of Mr. Wonderbird — Blind Man (Voice)
• 1953The Knight of the Night — le valet
• 1952Piédalu fait des miracles
• 1952Torticola versus Frankensberg — Doctor Frankenstein
• 1951Adventures of Captain Fabian
• 1951The Convict — Convict
• 1950Orpheus — The Poet
• 1950Vagabonds imaginaires — Narrator (segment 'Les amours jaunes') (voice)
• 1949Unusual Tales — Guillaume
• 1949Wicked City — Emilio
• 1947Passionnelle — Julien
• 1946The Ideal Couple — The sleepwalker
• 1945The Bohemian Life — Man of the puppet
• 1945The Last Judgment
• 1944First in Line — Paul Moury
• 1943Adieu Léonard — Bohemian leader
• 1943Captain Fracasse — Fagotin
• 1943Colonel Chabert — Cleric
• 1943Douce — Man of the theater (uncredited)
• 1943Le Corbeau — François
• 1942L'âge d'or
• 1942The Devil's Envoys — The Monster Showman
• 1942The Trump Card — Aspirant
• 1941Volpone — Un vénitien
• 1940Beating Heart — (credit only)
• 1939Louise — (uncredited)
• 1939Pasha's Wives — Mair
• 1939The World Will Shake — Le Condamné
• 1938Adrienne Lecouvreur
• 1938The Curtain Rises — Dominique, le gardien du château de la famille de Cécilia
• 1938The Time of the Cherries — Dupuis son
• 1937Alibi — Kretz, Winckler's henchman
• 1937The Citadel of Silence — Officer (uncredited)
• 1937The Life and Loves of Beethoven — De Ries
• 1936Jenny — le malade solitaire
• 1936Life Is Ours — Un métallo
• 1936Under Western Eyes — Unnamed Character
• 1934Street Without a Name — Writer
• 1933Le Colisée — The Crowd

Appearances as themselves (3)

• 2020Le Fantôme de Laurent Terzieff — Self (archive footage)
• Pour le plaisir — Self
• 1959Stars at Noon — Self