René Simon

René Simon was a French actor and drama teacher, born in Troyes in 1898 and active in Paris until his death in 1971. In 1925 he founded the Cours Simon, a private drama school in Paris that went on to train a long line of French stage and screen performers; the actors Benoît Petitjean and Jean Reno are among its notable alumni. His school is also named as one of the places where the actor and director Nicolas Bataille learned his craft before he began working in the theatre during the German occupation of France. Simon is remembered chiefly as a founder of acting training in twentieth century France rather than for any single role.