Napoleon having dinner with the actor François-Joseph Talma. François-Joseph Talma was

Napoleon having dinner with the actor François-Joseph Talma.

François-Joseph Talma was Napoleon’s favourite actor and they became friends before Napoleon became famous. Talma and his then wife, Julie Carreau, had rented out their house to increase their finances, the new tennant was none other than Rose de Tascher de la Pagerie, the future wife of Napoleon (Josephine). Napoleon and Josephine even married at their house and Napoleon eventually bought the house from Talma in 1798.

At the time they became friends, Talma was much more popular than Napoleon in France and often provided him with free tickets and even on some occasions money. It is even said that the two enjoyed telling ghost stories to each other in the dark.

They remained good friends for the rest of their lives. Talma even visited Napoleon in disguise after his abdication following the disastrous battle of Waterloo in 1815.