| James Thiérrée | |
| Birth Name: | James Spencer Henry Edmond Marcel Thierrée |
| Birth Date: | 2 May 1974 |
| Birth Place: | Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Education: | Piccolo Teatro CNSAD Acting International (Paris) Harvard Theater School |
| Occupation: | Circus performer, actor, theatre director |
| Yearsactive: | 1978–present |
| Parents: | Victoria Chaplin Jean-Baptiste Thierrée |
| Relatives: | Charlie Chaplin (maternal grandfather) Eugene O'Neill (great-grandfather) |
James Spencer Henry Edmond Marcel Thierrée (born 2 May 1974) is a Swiss-French circus performer, violinist,[1] actor and director who is best known for his theatre performances which blend contemporary circus, mime, dance, and music.[2] He is the son of circus performers Victoria Chaplin and Jean-Baptiste Thierrée, the grandson of filmmaker Charlie Chaplin and the great-grandson of playwright Eugene O'Neill.
Thierrée made his stage debut aged four in 1978, appearing alongside his older sister, Aurélia Thierrée, at his parents' small circus, Le Cirque Imaginaire. He toured with the circus and its follower, Le Cirque Invisible, throughout his childhood and teenage years, until 1994.[3] Due to this, he was taught by tutors up to the age of twelve, when he was enrolled at the American School of Paris. Later he studied at the Piccolo Teatro in Milan, the CNSAD and the Acting International in Paris, and the Harvard Theater School in the United States.[3] In 1991, aged fifteen, he made his film debut in the role of Ariel in Peter Greenaway's film Prospero's Books, and has since appeared in several films. He was nominated for the César Award for Most Promising Actor in 2006 for his role in Antoine de Caunes's film Twice upon a Time (2006).
In 1998 Thierrée founded his own theatre company, La Compagnie du Hanneton, and directed his first stage show, The Junebug Symphony (La Symphonie du Hanneton), in which he also performed. It toured several countries around the world and received favourable reviews from, for example, the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. Thierrée won four Molière Awards for the show, including that of the best director and the best newcomer in 2006,[4] and it was chosen in 2009 as one of the ten most important theatre pieces of the decade by Le Figaro.[5] His next pieces, the Bright Abyss (2003, La Veillée des Abysses) and Au Revoir Parapluie (2007) were similarly acclaimed, and he was awarded a Molière for the latter.[6] In 2008 he also received Le Prix Plaisir du Théâtre from the Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques.[7] His fourth stage show, Raoul (2009) received more mixed reviews. Thierrée's fifth spectacle, titled Tabac Rouge, is to premiere in Lausanne in the summer of 2013.
| Year | Production | Location | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Pre-Paradise, Sorry Now | Espace Toulouse-Lautrec, Paris | Unknown | Adaption of play by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, directed by Julien Collet. | |
| La Splendida Vergogna Del Fet Mal Fet | Barcelona | Unknown | Written and directed by Carlos Santos. Toured. | ||
| 1995–1997 | Lapin Lapin | Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin, Paris | Unknown | Written by Coline Serreau, directed by Benno Besson. | |
| 1998 | Le Soleil Est Rare | Théâtre de la Criée, Marseille | Unknown | Written and directed by Michael Cohen. | |
| 2000 | La Chauve-Souris | Paris Opera | Unknown | Adaptation of Johann Strauss II's Die Fledermaus, directed by Coline Serreau. |
| Year | Production | Premiere location | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998–2005 | The Junebug Symphony | Orion Theatre, Stockholm | Original French title: La Symphonie du Hanneton. Toured internationally. | ||
| 2003–2010 | Bright Abyss | La Coursive, La Rochelle | Original French title: La Veillée des Abysses. Toured internationally. | ||
| 2007–2011 | Au Revoir Parapluie | Théâtre Vidy, Lausanne | Toured internationally. | ||
| 2009– | Raoul | Théâtre Royal, Namur | First solo show. Still touring internationally. | ||
| 2013– | Tabac Rouge | Théâtre Vidy, Lausanne | He works on the stage with the company. Tours internationally. |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Prospero's Books | |||
| 1993 | Stefano Quantestorie | Teenage Stefano | ||
| The Girl in the Watermelon | Matt Carrere | Credited as James Spencer Thierrée | ||
| 1995 | Total Eclipse | Frederic | ||
| 1996 | The Green Beautiful | Mesaje | ||
| Reckoning | Pino | Television film. | ||
| 1997 | Genealogies of a Crime | Young American actor | ||
| On Guard | Marcello | |||
| 1999 | Apassionata | Joel | ||
| Une Femme dans la Rue | Unknown | Short film | ||
| 2000 | Vatel | Duc de Longueville | ||
| 2001 | A Long Long Long Night of Love | Gabriele | ||
| 2003 | Dix-huit ans après | Arthur | ||
| 3 Women | Unknown | |||
| 2004 | Rien, voilà l'ordre | Alexis | ||
| 2005 | Bye Bye Blackbird | Josef | ||
| Carmen | Mercier | Television film. | ||
| 2006 | Twice Upon a Time | Paul Gaylord | ||
| 2007 | Buchstaben/Letters | Unknown | ||
| The Vanishing Point | Vincent | |||
| 2009 | Korkoro | Félix Talouche | ||
| 2010 | Bartleby – Geschichte der Wall Street | Bartleby | Television film. | |
| 2011 | See How They Dance | Victor/Clément | ||
| 2013 | Love Battles | He | ||
| 2016 | Chocolat | George Foottit | César Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Lumières Award for Best Actor | |
| 2020 | L'Autre | Paul | ||