Molière

He was born Jean-Baptiste Poquelin in Paris in 1622, the son of a well-off upholsterer with a place at the royal court. He could have inherited that comfortable trade. Instead he chose the theater, took the stage name Molière, and helped found a company that promptly went bankrupt. He landed briefly in debtors' prison. Then he spent about thirteen years touring the French provinces, learning his craft in front of ordinary crowds.