bête de scène

English

Etymology

French, literally ‘beast of the stage’.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /beɪt də sɛn/

Noun

bête de scène (plural bête de scènes)

1. a feral player; an actor whose intense performance is likened to a wild animal
2. a performer with innate talent

Quotations

• 2007, John Gaffney, Diana Holmes, Stardom in postwar France, Berghahn Books, page 81:

  "Hallyday was often described as a bête de scène, a charismatic showman who gives his all, to the point of smashing his guitar on stage."

References

• Bêtes de scène. Anne Bouvier Cavoret, 2002
• Insiders' French: beyond the dictionary. Michel Levieux, 1999