French dramatist, born at Bordeaux. When he was twenty his pieces in verse began to be produced at the Parisian theatres; he also wrote some books of verse which met with a favourable reception, but these early works were not reprinted. In 1898 he published Théâtre d’amour, which contained four of his best pieces, La Chance de Françoise, L’Infidèle, Amoureuse, Le Passé. The title given to this collection indicates the difference between the plays of Porto-Riche and the political or sociological pieces of many of his contemporaries. In Germaine, the passionate and exacting heroine of Amoureuse, Mme. Réjane found one of her best parts. In Les Malefilâtres (Odéon, 1904), also a drama of passion, the characters are drawn from the working classes.
