Antonin Artaud is one of the most controversial and discussed figures in the history of twentieth century theatre. While he is widely recognised as a poet and an influential theatre theorist, he is also remembered as a playwright, actor, artist, designer and director. He was born in Marseille, France on September 4, 1886 and his childhood was marked by a series of illnesses and accidents. His health did not improve as he matured and for most of his life he was beset with ill health, pain and nervous depression. He was continually admitted and discharged from hospitals and sanatoria and developed addictions to hallucinatory and pain-reducing drugs like opium. His addiction and abuse of these substances began to have permanent effects and his mental health gradually deteriorated. However, he always managed to write and his fluctuating state of mind is represented throughout his many pieces of writing and painting. He was forcibly committed to various mental asylums for about a decade and although he was eventually released from the asylum of Rodez in France, he died less than two years later.