Molière

Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, better known by his stage name Molière, was born into a prosperous Parisian family in 1622. He studied at the prestigious Collège de Clermont (now Lycée Louis-le-Grand). At 21, Molière decided to become an actor, even though this was not considered an appropriate career for someone of his high social class, and acted in traveling theater troupes for 13 years. During this time, Molière also began writing, eventually returning to Paris and achieving major success on the Parisian stage with his satirical plays, some of which included The Misanthrope, Tartuffe or the Imposter, and The Imaginary Invalid. After 14 years in Paris, Molière died of tuberculosis at age 51.