DANCOURT, FLORENT CARTON French dramatist and actor, was born at Fontainebleau on Nov. 1, 1661. In 1685, in spite of the strong opposition of his family, he appeared at the Theatre Francais. One of his most famous im personations was Alceste in the Misanthrope of Moliere. His first play, Le Notaire obligeant, produced in 1685, was well received. La Desolation des joueuses (1687) was still more successful. Le Chevalier a 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. In Le Chevalier a la mode appears the bourgeoise infatuated with the desire to be an aristocrat. The type is developed in Les Bourgeoises a la mode (169 2) and Les Bourgeoises de qualite (I700). Dancourt was a prolific author, and produced some 6o plays in all. He died on Dec. 7, 1725. The plays of Dancourt are faithful descriptions of the manners of the time, and as such have real historical value. Most of them incline to the type of farce rather than of pure comedy. Voltaire defined his talent in the words : "Ce que Regnard etait a l'egard de Moliere dans la haute comedie, le comedien Dancourt l'etait dans la farce." His two daughters, Manon and Marie Anne (Mimi), both ob tained success on the stage of the Theatre Francais.
See Oeuvres completes (12 vols., 1760) ; Theatre choisi, ed. F. Sarcey (5 vols., 1884). Also J. Lemaitre, La comedie apres Moliere et le theatre de Dancourt (2nd ed., 1903).