Pierre Meyrand

Pierre Meyrand (3 August 1932 – 25 October 1999) was a French actor born in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. His stage career began in 1958 when he joined Roger Planchon's company at the Théâtre de la Cité in Villeurbanne, where he performed in a range of classical and modern works. These included Molière's George Dandin ou le Mari confondu and Le Bourgeois gentilhomme, Bertolt Brecht's Life of Galileo, and Alexandre Dumas's The Three Musketeers, in which he took the role of D'Artagnan.

In 1968, Meyrand brought his work with the Théâtre de la Cité to Broadway, appearing in productions of The Three Musketeers and George Dandin. In 1973, he met actress Arlette Téphany, with whom he founded an independent company called Théâtre en Liberté. From 1975 to 1985, he served as director of the Chelles theatre. He and Téphany, who later became his wife, were subsequently appointed co-directors of the Théâtre de l'Union, the national dramatic centre of Limoges.

In 1995, Meyrand received the Molière Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Isidore Lechat in Octave Mirbeau's Les affaires sont les affaires. That same year, French Minister of Culture Jacques Toubon relieved him and his wife of their directorial responsibilities at the national dramatic centre. Also in 1995, he appeared in the film The Three Brothers, playing Charles-Henri Rougemont, the future father-in-law of the character Didier Latour, portrayed by Didier Bourdon. Meyrand died on 25 October 1999 in Brunoy of cancer at the age of 67.