MARS, ANNE FRANcOISE IIYPPOLYTE BOUTET, 1779-1847; b. France; called Made moiselle; one of the most illustrious French actresses, daughter of an excellent actor named Monvel and an actress Mlle. Mars-Boutet, both of Paris. At the age of 14 she appeared at the comedie Francaise in personations of ingenuous childhood, under the care of Mlle. Contat, the prima donna of the theater. These simple parts continued for many years to be her role, and it was not till she had reached her 24th year that her first grand success was obtained in L' Abbe de l'Epee in the part of the deaf and dumb girl. From that time forward, through a period of nearly 40 years, she acted through the whole range of dra matic art with a fullness of talent that never failed to present with delicacy, power, and good taste each new character in which she appeared. Beginning her career as a child in the stormy days of the revolution, a mother at 16 achieving her first great triumphs in the early days of the first empire, rendering more adndrably titan her predecessors the heroines of the classic drama of the great poets of France before the revolution, and finally taking up one after another the works of succeeding generations of dramatists and poets, Victor Hugo, Alfred de Vigny, Scribe, Dumas, and breathing into their heroines the glow of her own talents. She prolonged her apparent youth, beauty, and power almost to her
dying day. The habit of playing ingenuous characters in her youth, and many years of practice in simple r6les before assuming leading parts, seem to have ripened those deli cate and superb coquetries which beauty and genius combined find latitude to exhibit cm the stage. Beautiful in face, imposing in form, suave in manner, tasteful in dress, with a voice melodiously modulated at will to suit every emotion, she was in appearance the ideal actress. Her liaison with the emperor Napoleon seems to have made a real impression on her heart, for on the accession of Louis XVIII. she refused to use the cus tomary ejaculation of vire le roi, and had some trouble with the theatrical manager about it; but the king covered the misunderstanding by settling upon her 30,000 livres. She vd-as not married, and her private life was that of the corrupt society of her time. Although a generous giver, she left at her death an estate of 800,000 francs.