Matei or Mateiu Millo (also Milo or Milu; ; November 24/25, 1813 or 1814 – September 9, 1896) was a Moldavian, later Romanian stage actor, singer, producer and playwright, noted as a founding figure in local theater. Hailing from two lineages of boyar aristocrats (one of which was originally French), he appeared in amateur productions around the age of twenty, alongside Vasile Alecsandri—who, later in life, was Millo's main literary backer. Violently shunned by his parents for what was seen as a lowly profession, he spent some time in Paris, possibly studying acting, and experienced there a form of material destitution that would plague him throughout his career. He returned to a position as art director of Moldavia's National Theater in Iași, pushing through an agenda of subversive Romanian nationalism, then playing some part in the liberal uprising of 1848. Late that year, Millo created an all-Romanian sensation by writing, producing, and starring in the first local operetta, Baba Hârca. His performances in travesti, and his penchant for naturalness, became hugely popular with theatergoers of all classes. They prompted Alecsandri to use Millo for a long series of Coana Chirița comedies.
Touring all Romanian-inhabited provinces, which at the time straddled three empires, Millo settled in Wallachia during 1852; he took charge of the Grand Theater in Bucharest, while also teaching at the Conservatory, and involved himself in the effort toward Moldo–Wallachian unification. He was a high-ranking Freemason, and as such involved in political intrigues before and during the creation of a Romanian Principality. Millo had renounced his boyar title and had championed the common folk, but, finding himself challenged by younger professionals such as Mihail Pascaly, fell back on conservative elitism. His conflict with Pascaly grew into a clash of philosophies and acting styles, particularly since his rival questioned the moral qualities of Millo's plays and revues. The aging Millo continuously promoted himself, including by having publicity images of himself taken by Carol Szathmari, or by claiming to be fighting government censorship. He was pushed into near-bankruptcy by his quarrels and the disdain of the Westernized theatergoers, though he still registered moral victories and gained an international following.
Millo returned to putting out nationalist propaganda during the Romanian war of independence, and subsequently reconciled with Pascaly—whom he eventually outlived. He remained unchallenged in the post-1881 Kingdom of Romania, which awarded him some high distinctions, and was upheld as a good example by the influential group of writers at Junimea. He was by then indigent, and only drew serious revenue from continuously touring. His physical decline visible to his audience, Millo died in 1896, shortly after one final performance at Iași—leaving a trove of unpublished manuscripts. While he did not receive formal accolades during the first half of the 20th century, he had some of his plays continuously performed; he was the object of a public cult under the communist regime, which regarded him as a critic of previous administrations. He endures in cultural memory mainly for having helped to limit the spread of neo-romanticism, and for having introduced his country to theatrical realism.
Biography Origins and debut Millo is conventionally said to have been born on the night of November 24–25, 1814,Aurel Sasu (ed.), Dicționarul biografic al literaturii române, Vol. II, pp. 112–113. Pitești: Editura Paralela 45, 2004. though he preferred November 24, "just before Saint Catherine's", as his official birthday; he also mentioned having been a premature baby.Liviu Floda, "Cine are dreptate? Când s'a născut și când a murit Lascăr Catargiu?", in Realitatea Ilustrată, Vol. XIV, Issue 683, February 1940, p. 14 While he himself did not indicate the year, his biographer Ioan Massoff hypothesized that it was likely 1813,Ioan Massoff, "Când a murit Millo. O greșală a Municipiului București", in Adevărul, September 12, 1936, p. 2 which is also used by writer Mihail Sadoveanu.Sadoveanu, p. 355 His parents were Vasile Millo and Zamfira née Prăjescu, and his grandfather was the poet Matei Milu.Iftimi et al., p. 78 The family practiced Eastern Orthodoxy, as subjects of the Moldavian Metropolis. Matei Jr had several sisters, who became nuns at Agapia and Văratec;Nestor Camariano, "Notițe bibliografice. Bulat T. G., 'O scrisoare dela Matei Millo către mitropolitul Veniamin Costache'", in Revista Istorică Română, Vol. XVII, Fascicles I–II, 1947, p. 186 he also had a brother, Alecu.Gorovei (1934), pp. 352–353 Early newspaper reports have the actor as a native of Spătărești, in Suceava County (close to the town of Fălticeni, where his cousin, also known as Matei Millo, was Mayor),"Ultime informații", in Timpul, September 12, 1896, p. 3 while Sadoveanu believes that Millo was born at Iași, the Moldavian capital, on what was already known as "Millo Street" (since his parents owned property there).Sadoveanu, p. 355 Later biographies contrarily settle on the village of Stolniceni-Prăjescu, in Iași County,Barbu, p. 137Vasile Iancu, "Patrimoniul. Monumente care au murit sub ochii noștri, simboluri distruse. Casa Matei Millo din Spătărești – Suceava", in România Liberă, February 2, 1999, p. 16 also rendered as "Stolnicești" in some accounts.Dimiu, p. 148
The actor's paternal ancestors were French and Greek, active in the Danubian Principalities (Moldavia and Wallachia) when these were still tributary states of the Ottoman Empire. His great-grandfather on that side was Jean Mille, who had worked as a Dragoman in 18th-century Moldavia before being raised into the local boyardom, and naturalized as "Enacache Mille".Iftimi et al., p. 78; Vintilă, pp. 252–256 Matei's Moldavian mother belonged to a more ancient boyar clan,Iftimi et al., p. 77 first attested in the 16th century.Zamfira Pungă, "Documente privitoare la familia Prăjescu în colecțiile Muzeului de Istorie a Moldovei Iași", in Ioan Neculce. Buletinul Muzeului de Istorie a Moldovei, Vol. XIX, 2013, p. 258 She had family on both sides of the new border with the Russian Empire, which in 1812 had annexed the principality's eastern half, organizing it as the "Bessarabia Governorate". Zamfira thus owned a Bessarabian estate at Stăuceni.Gorovei (1934), pp. 352–353
Always regarded as a member of the boyar class,Iftimi et al., p. 77; Sadoveanu, p. 355; Vintilă, p. 255 young Matei was first educated by private tutors at Spătărești. As assessed by Sadoveanu, such schooling came late in childhood and was "rather superficial."Sadoveanu, p. 355 He was later sent to Victor Quinem's boarding school in Iași. Though he only attended from 1833 to 1834, he became proficient in French, the language of instruction.Sadoveanu, p. 355 He is believed to have debuted as an actor in April 1834, when he appeared in an amateur staging of Gheorghe Asachi's Serbarea Păstorilor Moldoveni. The show was honoring Pavel Kiselyov, who had been Russian overseer in the Danubian Principalities; Millo shared the stage with three future writers and politicians: Vasile Alecsandri, Costache Negri, Mihail KogălniceanuSadoveanu, p. 354 (they all had parts in travesti, as girls).Al. I. Firduș, "160 de ani de teatru românesc cult. Agora unei conștiințe", in Convorbiri Literare, Issue 11/1976, p. 12 Millo alone drew praise from Moldavia's ruling Prince, Mihail Sturdza, who awarded him an engraved and gilded pocket watch.Sadoveanu, p. 354 At least one manuscript of a play by Millo, called Sărbare ostășască, dates back to 1834—and was intended as an homage for Prince Sturdza's birthday.Nestorescu, p. 213 His formal debut as an author was with the play Un poet romantic, published in 1850Nestorescu, p. 212 but dated by Sadoveanu to 1835.Sadoveanu, p. 354 It constitutes a study of the conflict between the old society and the newer ideas brought in by Romanticism. Although performed at various intervals, it was never actually given a finishing touch, and is regarded by Negruzzi as an incomplete work.Negruzzi, p. 452
Millo's embrace of acting was viewed as an embarrassment by his relatives, who once had him beat up in public in hopes of persuading him to reconsider.Camil Baltazar, "Evocări. Matei Millo", in Urzica, Vol. XVI, Issue 3, February 1964, p. 5 The young man was enrolled at the princely college, Academia Mihăileană, from 1835 to 1836. According to Sadoveanu, in 1835 he completed and staged two other plays, namely Postelnicul Sandu Curcă and Piatra Teiului. The latter, a musical with contributions by Elena Asachi, was performed for Sturdza at a manor in Horodniceni; it also marked Millo's much-lauded debut as a singer.Sadoveanu, p. 354 In November 1840, Millo, having already left his family home,Sadoveanu, p. 354 informed his father that he was leaving for Paris, in the Kingdom of France, together with a boyar friend, Nicu Mavrocordat. They only arrived at their destination in January of the following year.Gorovei (1934), pp. 313–314, 322 Living there to 1845, and mysteriously spelling his surname as "Millot",Gorovei (1934), p. 321 he studied theater, took private lessons, followed the great actors of the day (Frédérick Lemaître, François Jules Edmond Got, Hugues Bouffé, Pierre-Alfred Ravel) and probably played minor roles with French troupes. Sadoveanu believes that he was also employed at the Théâtre du Vaudeville.Sadoveanu, p. 355
Vasile Millo had died in 1841, leaving Matei's maternal uncle, Iancu Prăjescu, as his children's main caretaker. In a review of their correspondence, genealogist Arthur Gorovei observed that Millo was explaining his studies of dramatic art as a valid career choice, since, upon his return to Moldavia, he could be assigned a state salaried job in that field; he was purposefully vague or "fantasizing", sometimes presenting himself as a student of engineering.Gorovei (1934), pp. 313–320 Literary historian Claudia Dimiu suggests that Millo had claimed to be specializing in "political economy", and was receiving his stipend on a promise that he would graduate in that field.Dimiu, p. 148. See also Iftimi et al., p. 77 His protector was a distant relative, Ortansa the Countess Fallaux, who was also the object of his affection, and possibly his lover.Emil Georgescu, Vasile Bașa, "Pagini de istorie literară. O poetă franceză de origine română: Ostansa Costache Fallaux", in Cronica, Vol. X, Issue 26, June 1975, p. 8 Millo spent the entirety of his income and, at some point before August 1844, did time in the debtors' prison. To escape re-incarceration, he asked Prăjescu to send him large sums, threatening suicide. He promised to return home on repeated occasions, but complained that the money went toward curing his erysipelas.Gorovei (1934), pp. 317–320, 324–351
First successes