Jean-Pierre Marielle

Jean-Pierre Marielle (born April 12, 1932) is a French actor. He is widely regarded in his country as one of the greatest living French actors.^{[citation needed]} He has played in more than a hundred movies in which he brought life to a very large diversity of roles, from the banal citizen (Les Galettes de Pont-Aven), to the serial killer (Sans mobile apparent), to the World War II hero (Les Milles), to the compromised spy (La Valise), to the has-been actor (Les Grands Ducs), acting always with the same excellence whatever the quality of the movie in itself. He is well known for his outspokenness and especially for his warm and cavernous voice which is often imitated by French humorists considering him as the archetype of the French gentleman.

Biography

Early life

Marielle was born in 1932 in Dijon to an industrialist father and a dressmaker mother. His first experiences of acting date back to his years of high school during which he staged some Chekhov’s plays with his comrades. He initially wanted to study literature but one of his teachers encouraged him to become an actor instead, so that he joined the Conservatoire National where became close friends with Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Rochefort and from where he left with the comedy second prize in 1954.

Career

His early career consisted of stage roles with the Grenier-Hussenot company, notably in Pinter’s plays, and some small appearances on the large screen by the late Fifties, with his particular voice giving him the abilities to play older characters. But disappointed by his first movie roles, he turned a moment to the cabaret.

He obtained a little more consistent roles in the Sixties in movies such as Faites sauter la banque (1963), starring alongside Louis de Funès, Week end à Zuydcoote (1964) and in particular Un monsieur de compagnie (1965), where french director Philippe de Broca gave him the opportunity to express all his talent. But his popularity really exploded during the Seventies as he appeared in a lot of comedies. In La Valise (1974) he played an Israeli spy having to hide in a trunk in order to be extracted from a country of the Middle East. Les Gallettes de Pont-Aven (1975), Que la fête commence (1974) and Coup de Torchon (1981) confirmed him as a great actor.

One of his best performances, which is also probably his darkest, lies in his wonderful interpretation of a disillusioned and suicidal cop in Les mois d’avril sont meurtriers (1987). The other major role of his career is Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe in Tous les matins du monde (1994).

He also made at the same time a brilliant stage career and received the highest french award for a theater actor, the Molière, in 1994. He plays Jacques Sauniere in The Da Vinci Code (2006). He was awarded the Légion d’Honneur in 1992.

Personal life

He has been married to French actress Agathe Natanson since October 4, 2003 and has a son from a previous union. He is a great lover of jazz music and New York City.

Awards

• 1995 : Golden Goblet Award for Best Actor (2nd Shanghai International Film Festival) for the film Les Milles.
• 1992 : Sept d’or Award for Best Actor for the TV film La controverse de valladolid.
• 1987 : Mystfest Award for Best Actor for the film Les mois d’avril sont meurtriers.

Nominations

• 2004 – César Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for the film La Petit Lili.
• 1993 – César Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for the film Max & Jeremie.
• 1992 – César Award for Best Actor for the film Tous les matins du monde.
• 1989 – César Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for the film Quelques jours avec moi.
• 1982 – César Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for the film Coup de torchon.
• 1976 – César Award for Best Actor for the film Les galettes de Pont-Aven.

Filmography

• Tous peuvent me tuer (1957)
• Faites sauter la banque (1963)
• Week-end à Zuydcoote (1964)
• Un monsieur de compagnie (1965)
• Cent briques et des tuiles (1965)
• Monnaie de singe (1965)
• Le Diable par la queue (1968)
• L'Amour c'est gai, l'amour c'est triste (1968)
• Sans mobile apparent (1971)
• 4 mosche di velluto grigio (Four Flies on Grey Velvet) (1971)
• Comment réussir quand on est con et pleurnichard (1973)
• La Valise (1973)
• Charlie et ses deux nenettes (1973)
• Que la fête commence (1974)
• Dupont Lajoie (1975)
• Les Galettes de Pont-Aven (1975)
• Cours après moi que je t'attrape (1976)
• Comme la lune (1976)
• Un Moment d'égarement (1977)
• L'Imprécateur (1977)
• L'Entourloupe (1979)
• Cause toujours...tu m'intéresses (1979)
• Voulez-vous un bébé Nobel ? (1980)
• Pétrole! Pétrole! (1981)
• Asphalte (1981)
• Coup de torchon (1981)
• Jamais avant le mariage (1982)
• Signes extérieurs de richesse (1983)
• Partenaires (1984)
• L'Amour en douce (1985)
• Hold-Up (1985)
• Tenue de soirée (1985)
• Les mois d'avril sont meurtriers (1986)
• Quelques jours avec moi (1988)
• Uranus (1990)
• Tous les matins du monde (1991)
• La Controverse de Valladolid (1992)
• Max & Jérémie (1992)
• Le Parfum d'Yvonne (1993)
• Le Sourire (1994)
• Les Milles (1995)
• Les Grands Ducs (1996)
• L'Elève (1996)
• Une pour toutes (1999)
• Les Acteurs (1999)
• La Petite Lili (2002)
• Claude Sautet ou la magie invisible (2002)
• Le Grand Charles a disparu (2002)
• Demain on déménage (2004)
• Atomik Circus, le retour de James Bataille (2004)
• Galilée (2005)
• Les Ames grises (2005)
• Le Grand Meaulnes (2006)
• The Da Vinci Code (2006)

External links

• Jean-Pierre Marielle at the Internet Movie Database