Editing Max Linder (section)

===Early career 1899&ndash;1905===
In 1899, Linder enrolled in the [[Conservatoire de Bordeaux]] and quickly won awards for first prize in comedy and second prize in tragedy. He continued to pursue a career in the theater and became a contract player with the Bordeaux Théâtre des Arts from 1901 to 1904, performing in plays by [[Molière]], [[Pierre Corneille]] and [[Alfred de Musset]]. At the same time that he was performing in serious dramatic theater, he became friends with [[Charles le Bargy]] of the [[Comédie-Française]]. Le Bargy encouraged Linder to audition for the [[Conservatoire de Paris]] in 1904. Linder was rejected and began appearing in less prestigious theaters such as the [[Olympia (Paris)|Olympia Theater]] and the [[Théâtre de l'Ambigu-Comique|Théâtre de l'Ambigu]].<ref name=Wakeman2/>

By 1905, he had adopted his [[stage name]] of '''Max Linder''' and used it in several theatrical performances. Also during this period, Linder applied for work at [[Pathé|Pathé Frères]]  in [[Vincennes, France|Vincennes]] at the suggestion of film director [[Louis Gasnier]] and began appearing in small bit parts, mostly in [[slapstick]] comedies. Linder continued to appear on the stage for the next two years and was not a significant film star at first. However, an often-told legend about the origins of Linder's film career is that French film producer [[Charles Pathé]] personally saw Linder on the stage and wrote him a note that read "In your eyes lies a fortune. Come and act in front of my cameras, and I will help make it."<ref name=Wakeman2/>