L.-B. (Louis-Benoît) Picard

Before turning fully to literature and the stage, Louis-Benoît Picard studied law. He made his theatrical debut in 1789 and went on to build a wide-ranging career as a playwright, actor, novelist, poet, and theater administrator in Paris.

Picard became especially known for his comedies, including Médiocre et rampant and La Petite Ville, works remembered for their sharp observation of social behavior. His long involvement with performance was practical as well as literary: he acted for about a decade and later directed several theaters, including the Odéon.

His reputation in French letters was strong enough that he was elected to the Académie française in 1807. Today he is chiefly remembered as a versatile man of the theater whose writing helped define French comic drama in the years around the turn of the 19th century.