Thierry Hancisse ・ Comédie-Française

While preparing for his agrégation at the Liège Institut Supérieur des Arts Plastiques, Thierry Hancisse trained at the Liège Académie théâtrale prior to enrolling at the Cours Florent in Paris. In 1985, he made his debut at the Comédie-Française as a supporting artist in Goldoni’s The Impressario from Smyrna directed by Jean-Luc Boutté. He became a pensionnaire the following year and was appointed the 486th sociétaire on the 1st of January 1993. He has interpreted Alonso in Shakespeare’s The Tempest staged by Robert Carsen, Theseus in Seneca’s Phaedra by Louise Vignaud, Ernesto Roma in Brecht’s The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui by Katharina Thalbach and Mathieu in Feydeau’s The Free Exchange Hotel (L’Hôtel du Libre-Échange) by Isabelle Nanty. He reunited with Jean-Luc Boutté several times, notably on Molière’s Le Bourgeois gentilhomme; Racine’s Britannicus where he carried the title role; Beaumarchais’ The Barber of Seville (Le Barbier de Séville); Victor Hugo’s Le Roi s’amuse; as well as on two comedies by Molière: L’Impromptu de Versailles and Les Précieuses Ridicules. His career has been marked by encounters with renowned directors. Alexander Lang cast him as his Prince of Homburg in Heinrich von Kleist’s play of the same name, his Mephistopheles in Goethe’s Faust and a young Templar knight in Lessing’s Nathan the Wise. Jacques Lassalle directed him in Figaro Gets a Divorce by Ödön von Horváth, Don Juan or the Feast with the Statue (Dom Juan ou le Festin de pierre) and The School for Wives (L'École des femmes) allby Molière; Lukas Hemleb cast him in Le Dindon by Georges Feydeau and The Misanthrope by Molière; Anatoli Vassiliev directed him in Amphitryon by Molière and in La Musica, La Musica deuxième (1965-1985) by Marguerite Duras; whereas Alain Françon cast him in Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. Having directed him in Bertolt Brecht’s Threepenny Opera, Laurent Pelly offered him the title role in Shakespeare’s Macbeth at the Théâtre national de Toulouse. As a director, Thierry Hancisse has staged The School for Husbands (L’École des maris) and The Imaginary Cuckold (Sganarelle ou le Cocu imaginaire) both by Molière, L’Inattendu by Fabrice Melquiot and the Cabaret Georges Brassens.

Outside the Comédie-Française, he completed direction, scenography and costumes for Michel de Ghelderode’s Escurial presented in Namur in 1983. José Luis Gomez directed him in Calderón’s Life is a Dream at the Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe, and he played the title role in Paul Claudel’s Tête d’Or, firstunder the direction of Marianne Lewandowski, and later, in 2006, in Anne Delbée’s staging at the Comédie-Française.

His most notable appearances on film have been for: Danièle Thompson in Season’s Beatings (La Bûche); Costa-Gavras in The Ax (Le Couperet); Patrice Chéreau in Gabrielle; Niels Arestrup in Le Candidat; Zoe Cassavetes in Broken English; Bernard Bellefroid in The Boat Race (La Régate); Woody Allen in Midnight in Paris; Joann Sfar in The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun (La Dame dans l'auto avec des lunettes et un fusil) andWalid Mattar in Northern Wind (Vent du Nord).

In 1994, Thierry Hancisse won the Grand Prix Gérard Philipe de la Ville de Paris. He is Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters (officier dans l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres).

During the 2018-2019 season, Thierry Hancisse plays in Bergman’s Fanny and Alexandre directed by Julie Deliquet and in the reruns of Victor Hugo’s Lucrezia Borgia staged by Denis Podalydès and of Feydeau’s The Free Exchange Hotel (L’Hôtel du Libre-Échange) staged by Isabelle Nanty.