Gérard Philipe
Gérard Philipe (
December 4,
1922 â€"
November 22,
1959) was a prominent
French actor.
Born in
Cannes, as a teenager Gérard Philipe took acting lessons before going to
Paris to study at the Conservatory of Dramatic Art. At age 19, he made his stage debut at a theater in
Nice and the following year his strong performance in the
Albert Camus play,
"Caligula" brought an invitation to work with the
Théâtre national populaire (T.N.P.) in Paris and
Avignon le
festival d'Avignon is France's oldest existing and most famous, founded in 1947 by
Jean Vilar).
Gérard Philipe made his film debut in 1943 in
Les Petites du Quai aux Fleurs and after a few more minor film roles, he rocketed to fame as a result of his performance in
Claude Autant-Lara's 1947 film
Le diable au corps. Although adored by young women, beyond his good looks Gérard Philipe was a very talented actor who was highly regarded by his peers. From roles as diverse as
Faust to
Modigliani, he was sought out by France's preeminent directors for his versatility and professionalism.
In 1951, Gérard Philipe married Nicole Fourcade (1917-1990) with whom he had two children. An actress and writer who adopted the pseudonym, Anne Philipe, she wrote about her husband in a two books, the first called
" Souvenirs" published in 1960 and in 1963 a second biography titled
"Le Temps d'un soupir" (No Longer Than a Sigh).
Recognized worldwide for his talent, he was at the pinnacle of his career when, a few days short of his 37th birthday, Gérard Philipe died from
liver cancer while in Paris working on a film project. He is buried in the village cemetery in
Ramatuelle,
Var near the
Mediterranean Sea coast.
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of film, in 1995 the government of France issued a series of limited edition coins that included a 100 Franc coin bearing the image of Gérard Philipe. One of the most popular French actors of his time, his image has been enhanced by his young death at the peak of his popularity and has risen to near legendary status in France. In 1961, his portrait appeared on a French commemorative
postage stamp. There is a film festival named in his honor plus a number of theaters, schools and colleges have been given his name in various parts of France. Also very popular in
Germany, in
Berlin a theater has also been named for him.
Les Petites du Quai aux Fleurs (1943)
L'Idiot (1946)
Le diable au corps (1947)
La Chartreuse De Parme (1948)
La Ronde (1950)
Fanfan la tulipe (1952)
Si Versailles m'était conté (1953)
Le rouge et le noir (1954)
Monsieur Ripois (1954)
Les Grandes ManÅ"uvres (1955)
Si Paris nous était conté (1955)
Montparnasse 19 (1957)
Le Joueur (1958)
Les Liaisons dangereuses (1959)
La fièvre monte à El Pao (1959)
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Gérard Philipe A fan-maintained website
