{{Short description|French actor and opera singer (1838–1920)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}} {{About||the British tobacco and cigarette manufacturer|Sir Louis Baron, 1st Baronet}} thumb|Baron c. 1880 '''Louis Baron''' (real name '''Louis Bouchêne''' or '''Bouchenez'''; September 1838 – 2 March 1920) was a French actor and bass singer.
==Biography== Louis Baron was born in September 1838 at Alençon.<ref name ="Martin">Martin J. ''Nos artistes des théâtres et concerts.'' Paul Ollendorff, Paris, 1895.</ref>
His first stage appearances were at the Théâtre de la Tour-d'Auvergne, and subsequently in Limoges (1857–58) and Troyes (1858–59). After military service as a customs officer he then appeared in Toulouse (1863) and Rouen (1864–66).<ref name ="Martin"/>
In July 1866 he made his debut at the Théâtre des Variétés in the comedy ''Le photographe'' by Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, going on to create many other roles in plays by Labiche (''Les trente millions de gladiator'') and Meilhac and Halévy (including ''La cigale'', ''La petite marquise'', and ''Toto chez Tata'').
In the field of operetta he created various roles in works by Offenbach including ''La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein'', ''Les brigands'', and ''La boulangère a des écus'', as well as appearing in revivals. For Hervé he created Célestin in ''Mam'zelle Nitouche'', as well as roles in ''Lili'', ''La Femme à papa'', and ''Le Trône d'Écosse''.<ref name ="Martin"/>
In 1886, he was briefly co-director of the Variétés with Eugène Bertrand before moving on to the Gaîté.<ref name ="Martin"/>
His son, Louis Baron, fils (1870–1939), was also an actor and singer who had a long stage and film career in France including the premiere of ''Dédé'' in 1921.<ref name="comedie-musicale.jgana.fr">’L'encyclopédie multimedia de la comédie musicale théâtrale en France (1918-1940)’ ([http://comedie-musicale.jgana.fr/index.htm], accessed 22 October 2009.</ref>
Louis Baron died in Paris on 2 March 1920.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41819966/louis_baron_actor/ |title=Louis Baron, Actor |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer |location=Paris |page=5 |date=1920-03-03 |access-date=2020-01-06 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Baron, Louis}} Category:1838 births Category:1920 deaths Category:French operatic basses Category:People from Alençon Category:Musicians from Normandy Category:19th-century French male singers Category:Male actors from Normandy