Marie-Thérèse Laruette

She was born Marie-Thérèse Vilette, the daughter of a master Parisian tailor who lived in Paris near the Opera and the Comédie-Italienne theaters.

After noticing that his daughter was "addicted to the theater", her father took steps to make sure she acquired the education she would need to pursue an operatic career.

There she performed operas by Monsigny and Grétry, in particular Le déserteur, in which she created the leading role of Louise, in 1767.

[1] According to Legrande, "Marie-Thérèse Laruette was credited with having oriented the style of the heroines of comic-opera towards more sensitivity and decency, especially in the 1770s."

Marie-Thérèse Laruette retired from the theater at the age of 33, apparently due to poor health because of the rigorous work schedule requiring her to perform often during extremely heavy theatrical seasons.