Cyrano de Bergerac

1619 Savinien (or Savinio) Cyrano de Bergerac (d. July 28, 1655), soldier, poet, dramatist, best known for his huge nose, over which he is said to have fought more than 1,000 duels. The character CD Bales, played by Steve Martin in Roxanne, was based on de Bergerac, as the movie was based on Edmond Rostand's verse drama, Cyrano de Bergerac (1897).

De Bergerac wrote two science-fantasy novels about voyages to the moon and sun. He was severely wounded twice, once at a fight with a Gascon Guard, and the second time at the siege of Arras in 1640. There he was hit in the neck with a sword and he never fully recovered from the wound. He died in Paris in, 1655 and the cause of his death was banal: a piece of plank dropped on his head ...

Categories: france, literature, biography, history