Préville (actor)

[1][2] Born Pierre-Louis Dubus to an impoverished family in Paris, he was originally intended for the clergy.

[1] While playing with a mediocre troop of actors in provincial France, Préville's budding talents were spotted in the town of Rouen by Jean Monnet, who engaged him to perform with the Opéra-Comique in Paris in 1743.

[2] He joined the Comédie Francaise in Paris in 1753, where he debuted on 20 September in the role of Crispin in Jean-François Regnard's Le Légataire universel (The Sole Legatee).

[1] He took on roles previously played by François-Arnoul Poisson [fr] and revealed himself to be the best comedian in the company since Jean-Baptiste Raisin.

One of his most notable successes was playing 6 characters in one in Edmé Boursault's Le Mercure galant.