Gabriel Gabrio | |
---|---|
Born | Édouard Gabriel Lelièvre 13 January 1887 |
Died | 31 October 1946 59) | (aged
Nationality | French |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1920–1943 |
Gabriel Gabrio (born Édouard Gabriel Lelièvre; 13 January 1887 – 31 October 1946) [1] was a French stage and film actor whose career began in cinema in the silent film era of the 1920s and spanned more than two decades. Gabrio is possibly best remembered for his roles as Jean Valjean in the 1925 Henri Fescourt-directed adaptation of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables , Cesare Borgia in the 1935 Abel Gance-directed biopic Lucrèce Borgia and as Carlos in the 1937 Julien Duvivier-directed gangster film Pépé le Moko , opposite Jean Gabin.
Gabriel Gabrio was born Édouard Gabriel Lelièvre in Reims, [1] France as the youngest of sixteen children. Gabrio's father worked for the Pommeray Champagne cellars. At a young age he developed a keen interest in puppet theater. As a teen, Gabrio grew to an impressive height of 6 feet 2 inches [2] and after a stint as an apprentice glass window painter, set his sights on a career as a stage actor.
At the out break of World War I, the blue-eyed [2] Gabrio enlisted in the French Army and served four years during the hostilities. After being demobilized, Gabrio relocated to Paris where he performed in such theaters as the Gaîté Rochechouart, the Théâtre des Ambassadeurs, the Comédie Montaigne and the Odéon in roles by George Bernard Shaw and William Shakespeare, among others.
Gabrio made his film debut in the 1920 Germaine Dulac-directed film La fête espagnole (English release title: Spanish Fiesta). In 1924 he was cast by film director Henri Fescourt to appear as Jean Valjean, the literary protagonist in the film adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel Les Misérables whose twenty-year-long struggle with the law for stealing bread during a time of economic and social depression is chronicled. Gabrio's appearance in the film catapulted him to stardom.
In 1927, Gabrio began appearing in international films, such as 1927's Georg Jacoby-directed German film Der Faschingskönig, and in 1929 Gabrio made his first and only English language talkie The Inseparables, directed by Adelqui Migliar and John Stafford.
Gabrio's career flourished in France into the 1930s and is possibly best recalled for his roles such as Carlos, the gangster cohort of actor Jean Gabin's character Pépé le Moko in the 1937 film directed by Julien Duvivier. The film would become an international success and remade in America in 1938 as Algiers , starring Charles Boyer and Hedy Lamarr, and again in 1948 as a musical entitled Casbah , starring Tony Martin and Yvonne de Carlo.
As the 1940s began and Europe was thrust into the World War II, Gabriel Gabrio's film career remained intact in war-torn France. In 1942 he appeared in the Marcel Carné-directed and Jacques Prévert and Pierre Laroche-penned Les Visiteurs du Soir as the executioner, opposite Arletty and Marie Déa. The film, which debuted on 5 December 1942 during the Nazi occupation of France, is an allegory of the eternal struggle between good and evil as fourteenth-century lovers defy the Devil. The film was released under the English title The Devil's Envoys to American audiences in 1947.
In 1943 Gabrio's health declined and he retired into the village of Berchères-sur-Vesgre in Eure-et-Loir. He died there in 1946 at age 59. The village has since named a street after him in his honor.
Les Misérables is a 1934 film adaptation of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel of the same name. It was written and directed by Raymond Bernard and stars Harry Baur as Jean Valjean and Charles Vanel as Javert. The film lasts four and a half hours and is considered by critics to be the greatest adaptation of the novel, due to its more in-depth development of the themes and characters, in comparison with most shorter adaptations.
Pépé le Moko is a 1937 French film directed by Julien Duvivier starring Jean Gabin, based on a novel of the same name by Henri La Barthe and with sets by Jacques Krauss. An example of the 1930s French movement known as poetic realism, it recounts the trapping of a gangster on the run in Algiers, who believes that he is safe from arrest in the Casbah.
Les Visiteurs du Soir is a 1942 film by French film director Marcel Carné. The film was released on 5 December 1942 in Paris during the Nazi occupation.
Harry Baur was a French actor.
Renée Carl was a French actress of the silent era. She was born in Fontenay-le-Comte, Vendée, France, and died in Paris, France.
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Les Misérables is a 1925 French silent film directed by Henri Fescourt, based on the 1862 novel of the same name by Victor Hugo.
Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables has been the subject of many adaptations in various media since its original publication in 1862.
Arthur L. Mayer was an American film producer and film distributor who worked with Joseph Burstyn in distributing films directed by Roberto Rossellini and other famous European film directors. Some films were distributed under the name Burstyn-Mayer Inc. Mayer was also interviewed by Warren Beatty for Beatty's film Reds (1981).
Lucrezia Borgia is a 1935 French historical film directed by Abel Gance and starring Edwige Feuillère, Gabriel Gabrio and Maurice Escande.
The Two Orphans is a 1933 French historical drama film directed by Maurice Tourneur and starring Rosine Deréan, Renée Saint-Cyr and Gabriel Gabrio. The film's sets were designed by the art director Lucien Aguettand. The film was based on the play The Two Orphans which had been turned into several films. Tourneur altered the story slightly by moving it forward from the French Revolution to the Napoleonic Era.
Jules Kruger (1891–1959) was a French cinematographer. He is known particularly for films which he photographed in the 1920s and 1930s for Abel Gance, Marcel L'Herbier, Raymond Bernard, and Julien Duvivier. He also worked in Great Britain and in Spain.
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Captain Rascasse is a 1927 French silent film directed by Henri Desfontaines and starring Gabriel Gabrio, Claude Mérelle and Jeanne Helbling.
Antoinette Sabrier is a 1927 French silent drama film directed by Germaine Dulac and starring Ève Francis, Gabriel Gabrio and Jean Toulout.
The Société des Cinéromans was a French film production company of the silent movie era.
Jean Peyrière was a French stage and film actor. He appeared in several popular serial films during his career.