French actress
Born 1760 Died 1813
Louise Francoise Contat made her debut at the Comedie Francaise in 1766 as Atalide in Bajazet. It was in comedy, however, that she made her first success, as Suzanne in Beaumarchais's Mariage de Figaro; and in several minor character parts, which she raised to the first importance, and as the soubrette in the plays of Molière and Marivaux, she found opportunities exactly fitted to her talents. She retired in 1809 and married de Parny, nephew of the poet.
Her sister Marie Emilie Contat (1769-1846), an admirable soubrette, especially as the pert servant drawn by Moliere and de Regnard, made her debut in 1784, and retired, in 1815.
Being the entry for CONTAT, LOUISE FRANCOISE in the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica, the text of which lies within the public domain.