Pierre Brasseur
Encyclopedia
Pierre Brasseur born Pierre-Albert Espinasse, was a French
actor
.
He was the son of actor Georges Espinasse and actress 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
.
Renowned for playing outsized characters, Brasseur is probably best known in the anglophone world 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 with Alida Valli
.
On May 30, 1927, Brasseur performed the spoken role of the Narrator in the world premiere of Igor Stravinsky
's opera
-oratorio
Oedipus rex
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
He was the son of actor Georges Espinasse and actress 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
Claude Brasseur
-Biography:He was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine as Claude Pierre Espinasse, the son of actor Pierre Brasseur and actress Odette Joyeux. He is the godson of Ernest Hemingway and the father of Alexandre Brasseur....
and his grandson Alexandre
Alexandre Brasseur
Alexandre Brasseur is a French actor. He is the son of actor Claude Brasseur and the grandson of actor Pierre Brasseur.-Filmography:*Le Souper *Les Ténors...
.
Renowned for playing outsized characters, Brasseur is probably best known in the anglophone world for his (semi-fictionalised) portrayal of the actor Frédérick Lemaître
Frédérick Lemaître
Frédérick Lemaître — birth name Antoine Louis Prosper Lemaître — was a French actor and playwright, one of the most famous players on the celebrated Boulevard du Crime.-Biography:...
in Les Enfants du Paradis
Children of Paradise
Les Enfants du Paradis, released as Children of Paradise in North America, is a 1945 French film by French director Marcel Carné, made during the German occupation of France during World War II...
(Children of Paradise, 1945) and as Docteur Génessier (more subdued) in the horror film Eyes Without a Face
Eyes Without a Face
Eyes Without a Face is a 1960 French-language horror film adaptation of Jean Redon's novel, directed by Georges Franju, and starring Pierre Brasseur and Alida Valli. During the film's production, consideration was given to the standards of European censors by setting the right tone, minimizing...
(Les Yeux sans visage, 1960) co-starring with Alida Valli
Alida Valli
Alida Valli , sometimes simply credited as Valli, was an Italian actress who appeared in more than 100 films, including Mario Soldati's Piccolo mondo antico, Alfred Hitchcock's The Paradine Case, Carol Reed's The Third Man, Michelangelo Antonioni's Il Grido, Luchino Visconti's Senso, Bernardo...
.
On May 30, 1927, Brasseur performed the spoken role of the Narrator in the world premiere of Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
's opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
-oratorio
Oratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
Oedipus rex
Oedipus rex (opera)
Oedipus rex is an "Opera-oratorio after Sophocles" by Igor Stravinsky, scored for orchestra, speaker, soloists, and male chorus. The libretto, based on Sophocles's tragedy, was written by Jean Cocteau in French and then translated by Abbé Jean Daniélou into Latin...
.
Honours
- He was made Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'honneurLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
in 1966. - He was made Commandeur (Commander) of the Ordre des Arts et des LettresOrdre des Arts et des LettresThe Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an Order of France, established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of the Ordre national du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963...
in 1967.
Selected filmography
- Le Quai des brumes (1938)
- Croisière pour l'inconnu (1948)
- Millionnaires d'un jourMillionnaires d'un jourMillionnaires d'un jour is a French comedy film from 1949, directed by André Hunebelle, written by Alex Joffé, and starring by Gaby Morlay. The film was starred by Louis de Funès .- Cast :* Gaby Morlay : Hélène Berger, wife of Pierre...
(1949) - NapoléonNapoléon (1955 film)Napoléon is a 1955 French historical epic film directed by Sacha Guitry that depicts major events in the life of Napoleon I of France.The film is notable for its use of location shooting for numerous scenes, especially at the French estates of Malmaison and Fontainebleau, the Palace of Versailles,...
(1955) - Gates of Paris (1957)
- La Vie à deuxLa Vie à deuxLa Vie à deux , is a French comedy film from 1958, directed by Clément Duhour, written by Clément Duhour, starring Pierre Brasseur and Louis de Funès...
(1958) - Carthage in FlamesCarthage in FlamesCarthage in Flames is a 1960 Italian historical drama film directed by Carmine Gallone and starring Pierre Brasseur, Daniel Gélin and Anne Heywood...
(1960) - Candide ou l'optimisme au XXe siècleCandide ou l'optimisme au XXe siècleCandide ou l'Optimisme du XXe siècle is a 1960 French comedy drama film directed by Norbert Carbonnaux and written by Carbonnaux and Albert Simonin. It stars Jean-Pierre Cassel as Candide, Pierre Brasseur as Pangloss, Louis de Funès as the officer of the Gestapo, and Daliah Lavi as Cunégonde...
(1960) - Un monde nouveauUn monde nouveauUn monde nouveau is a 1966 French-Italian drama film directed by Vittorio De Sica. Most notably it featured Sean Connery as himself.-Cast:* Christine Delaroche - Anne* Nino Castelnuovo - Carlo* Madeleine Robinson - Wealthy woman...
(1965) - FortunaFortuna (film)Fortuna aka Seduced in Sodom aka The Girl from the Dead Sea a 1966 film directed by Menahem Golan. It was released in the United States in 1969 in a dubbed version.-Plot:...
(1966) - The Married Couple of the Year TwoThe Married Couple of the Year TwoThe Married Couple of the Year Two is a 1971 French comedy film directed by Jean-Paul Rappeneau. It was entered into the 1971 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Jean-Paul Belmondo - Nicolas Philibert* Marlène Jobert - Charlotte* Laura Antonelli - Pauline...
(1971)
See also
- Pierre Brasseur's autobiography: Ma Vie en Vrac, Calmann-Lévy, 1972, ISBN 978-2-7021-0636-5