Jolly was born in Paris on 20 April 1839. He dabbled in several professions before entering the theatre. He made his debut in Belgium and then moved to Paris in 1866, returning to Brussels during the
Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71. In Brussels he was in three world premieres of operettas by
Charles Lecocq: as Sir Jonathan Plupersonn in
Les cent vierges (1872), Pomponnet in
La fille de Madame Angot (1872) and Boléro d'Akarazar in
Giroflé-Girofla (1874). He moved permanently to Paris in 1876, and established himself at the
Bouffes-Parisiens, and then at the
Théâtre de la Renaissance. In those two theatres he created roles in many comic operas including Hérisson de Porc Epic in
Chabrier's ''
L'étoile'' (1877), the Governor in
Charles Grisart's ''Le Pont d'Avignon'' (1878), the Marquis de rues in
Hervé's La marquise des rues (1879), Grippeminaud in Hervé's
Panurge (1879), Malicorne in
Offenbach's Belle Lurette (1880), Chateauminet in Lecocq's
Janot (1881), and Prince Cornikoff in Hervé's
Le vertigo (1883). In 1884 Jolly abandoned the musical stage and moved to the
Théâtre du Vaudeville. He was seen there as Duplantin opposite
Réjane in
Edmond Gondinet's
Clara Soleil, and in the leading comic roles in
La veuve de Damoclès (1886),
Le conseil judiciaire (1886),
Les surprises du divorce (1888),
La sécurité des familles (1888) and
Feu Toupinel (1890). Jolly's career was cut short by illness, and he died in Paris on 8 May 1891, aged 52. The Paris correspondent of
The Era wrote of him:
Le Figaro said: ==References==