Architect.  Born Jean-Louis Charles Garnier in Paris. His father was originally from Sarthe, and had worked as a blacksmith, wheelwright, and coachbuilder before settling down in Paris to work in a horse-drawn carriage rental business. He married Felicia Colle, daughter of a captain in the French Army. Famed as the creator of the Paris Opera House. He was admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts in 1842 and was awarded the Grand Prix de Rome in 1848 to study in Italy. He won the 1860 competition for the new Paris Opera House. One of the most famous buildings of the century, the Opéra (completed 1875) became a symbol of Second Empire taste, and its eclectic neo-Baroque style became characteristic of late 19th-century Beaux-Arts design. His command of the sweeping interiors was equalled by his mastery of balance, punctuation, and termination of mass and surface. Charles also influenced the style of resort architecture for the wealthy with his small theatre for the casino of Monte-Carlo (1878), the casino and baths at Vittel, and the villas he built, notably his own (1872–73). Among his other works were the observatory at Nice, an apartment house, and the Hôtel du Cercle de la Librairie in Paris. Charles died in Paris. (bio by: Shock)