Character guide
Emile de Becque
from South Pacific
Emile de Becque is the French plantation owner whose romance with a young American nurse anchors South Pacific, a man whose past and worldview set him apart from the wartime world around him.
- Show
- South Pacific
- Broadway premiere
- 1949
- Role
- Lead
- Music by
- Richard Rodgers
Emile de Becque on stage vs screen
Broadway compared with the 1958 film and 2001 TV movie
Ezio Pinza originated Emile, the middle-aged French plantation owner, on Broadway in 1949. In the 1958 film Rossano Brazzi played him on screen, but his singing voice was dubbed by Giorgio Tozzi.
The 2001 ABC TV movie broke with the role's big-voiced tradition: Rade Šerbedžija's Emile sang with a tenor voice, and one critic described him as a short, scruffy beach bum. That version also dropped the May-December element of Emile's romance with Nellie (Glenn Close). Paulo Szot played Emile in the 2008 Lincoln Center revival.
Who is Emile de Becque?
Emile is an older French expatriate who has built a life on a Pacific island, raising two children from a previous relationship. He is established as thoughtful, cultured, and a little mysterious compared to the American servicemen and nurses stationed nearby, and his courtship of Nellie Forbush gives the show its central love story.
His backstory, including his life before the island and his complicated history, gives the character depth beyond the typical romantic lead, and it becomes directly relevant to how the plot around him unfolds.
Emile's role in South Pacific
Emile is a lead role and traditionally one of the great parts for a bass-baritone in the musical theatre repertoire. The role calls for a rich, resonant lower voice and a commanding but warm stage presence, since Emile needs to feel like a genuine romantic match for Nellie despite the difference in their ages and backgrounds. He carries some of the score's most beloved and demanding vocal writing.
Because the part is written for a mature, powerful voice, it is often a coveted role for singers later in their careers, distinct from the younger tenor leads common elsewhere in the genre.
Why Emile resonates
Emile represents an alternative to wartime cynicism: a man who has already lived through loss and difficulty and still chooses openness and hope. His steady devotion to Nellie, even as she struggles with her own prejudices, gives the story its emotional ballast. For performers, the role offers a chance to combine vocal grandeur with quiet emotional restraint, which is part of why it remains a benchmark role in the classic musical theatre canon.
Emile de Becque: frequently asked questions
What show is Emile de Becque from?
Emile de Becque is a lead character in South Pacific, the 1949 musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein.
Is Emile de Becque a lead or supporting role?
He is a lead role and one of the two central characters in the story.
Who wrote South Pacific?
Richard Rodgers wrote the music, with Oscar Hammerstein II handling the lyrics and co-writing the book.
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