Pierre Brasseur

Pierre Brasseur (22 December 1905 – 16 August 1972), born Pierre-Albert Espinasse, was a French actor.

Pierre Brasseur
Pierre Brasseur in 1961 in the film Mon frère Jacques
Born	Pierre-Albert Espinasse 22 December 1905 Paris, France
Died	16 August 1972 (aged 66) Bruneck, South Tyrol, Italy[1]
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1924–1972
Spouse(s)	Odette Joyeux (1935–1945)[2] Lina Magrini (1947–1961)

Biography

The son of actors Georges Espinasse and Germaine Brasseur, while the latter was married to Albert Brasseur, his grandfather, Jules Brasseur, was an actor as well. The family tradition of using the name Brasseur was continued by his son Claude and his grandson Alexandre.[3]

Renowned for playing outsized characters, Brasseur is best remembered for his (semi-fictionalised) portrayal of the actor Frédérick Lemaître in Les Enfants du Paradis (Children of Paradise, 1945) and as Docteur Génessier (more subdued) in the horror film Eyes Without a Face (Les Yeux sans visage, 1960) co-starring Alida Valli. On 30 May 1927, he performed the spoken role of the Narrator in the world premiere of Igor Stravinsky's opera-oratorio Oedipus Rex.[4]

Honours

• He was made Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'honneur in 1966.[5]
• He was made Commandeur (Commander) of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1967.[5]

Selected filmography

• A Father Without Knowing It (1932)
• Honeymoon Trip (1933)
• The Weaker Sex (1933)
• The Uncle from Peking (1934)
• A Rare Bird (1935)
• The Decoy (1935)
• Claudine at School (1937)
• Giuseppe Verdi (1938)
• Hercule (1938)
• Port of Shadows (Le Quai des brumes, 1938)
• Tobias Is an Angel (1940)
• Lumière d'été (1943)
• Goodbye Leonard (1943)
• Children of Paradise (1945)
• Gates of the Night (1946)
• Jericho (1946)
• Rocambole (1948)
• Cruise for the Unknown One (1948)
• The White Night (1948)
• Millionnaires d'un jour (1949)
• The Lovers Of Verona (1949)
• The Man from Jamaica (1950)
• Julie de Carneilhan (1950)
• Maître après Dieu (1951)
• Le Plaisir (1952)
• Crimson Curtain (1952)
• The King and the Mockingbird (1952, voice)
• Rasputin (1954)
• Oasis (1955)
• Tower of Lust (1955)
• Napoléon (1955)
• Gates of Paris (1957)
• La Vie à deux (1958)
• Les Grandes Familles (1958)
• The Law (1959)
• Head Against the Wall (1959)
• Eyes Without a Face (1960)
• Carthage in Flames (1960)
• Il bell'Antonio (1960)
• Candide ou l'optimisme au XXe siècle (1960)
• Spotlight on a Murderer (1961)
• The Nina B. Affair (1961)
• Emile's Boat (1962)
• Girl on the Road (1962)
• Lucky Jo (1964)
• Le Grain de sable (1964)
• Un monde nouveau (1965)
• A Matter of Resistance (1966)
• King of Hearts (1966)
• Fortuna (1966)
• Birds in Peru (1968)
• Sous le signe de Monte-Cristo (1968)
• A Little Virtuous (1968)
• The Married Couple of the Year Two (1971)

References

1. "Pierre Brasseur". Encyclopædia Britannica.
2. "Pierre Brasseur (with a complete filmography)". Films de France.
3. Oscherwitz, Dayna; Higgins, MaryEllen (2009). The A to Z of French Cinema. Scarecrow Press. p. 69. ISBN 978-081087038-3. Pierre Brasseur died.
4. Pierre Brasseur at IMDb
5. "Pierre Brasseur | Biographie et Filmographie". Laurentpons.fr. Retrieved 12 December 2014.

• Pierre Brasseur's autobiography: Ma Vie en Vrac, Calmann-Lévy, 1972, ISBN 978-2-7021-0636-5

External links

• Pierre Brasseur's biography; accessed 12 December 2014 (in French).