Jean-Claude Brialy

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Jean-Claude Brialy
JeanClaudeBrialy05b.jpg
Brialy in 1992
Born(1933-03-30)30 March 1933
Aumale, French Algeria (now Sour El-Ghozlane, Algeria)
Died30 May 2007(2007-05-30) (aged 74)
Monthyon, France [1]
Occupations
  • Actor
  • director
Years active1955–2007
Awards César Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
1987 The Innocents

Jean-Claude Brialy (30 March 1933 – 30 May 2007) was a French actor and film director.

Contents

Early life

Brialy was born in Aumale (now Sour El-Ghozlane), French Algeria, where his father was stationed with the French Army. Brialy moved to mainland France with his family in 1942. He was an alumnus of the Prytanée National Militaire. When he was 21 years old, he went to Paris to work as an actor.

Career

In 1956, Brialy acted in his first role in the short film Le coup du berger ( Fool's Mate ) by Jacques Rivette.

By the late 1950s, he'd become one of the most prolific actors in the French nouvelle vague and a star. He appeared in films of nouvelle vague directors such as Claude Chabrol ( Le Beau Serge , 1958; Les Cousins , 1959), Louis Malle ( Ascenseur pour l'échafaud , 1958; The Lovers , 1958), François Truffaut ( The 400 Blows , 1959), Jean-Luc Godard, ( A Woman Is a Woman , 1961), Éric Rohmer ( Claire's Knee , 1970), as well as in films of other filmmakers such as Jean Renoir ( Elena and Her Men 1958), Roger Vadim ( Circle of Love , 1964), Philippe de Broca ( King of Hearts , 1966), Luis Buñuel ( The Phantom of Liberty , 1974), and Claude Lelouch ( Robert et Robert , 1978).

Accustomed to supporting roles, he starred in Le Beau Serge in 1957, La Chambre ardente in 1962, Carambolages in 1963, L'Année sainte (with Jean Gabin) in 1976, and Julie pot de colle the following year, but never managed to establish himself as a leading man like Alain Delon or Jean-Paul Belmondo. He made up to ten films a year in the 1960s.

In 2006, he appeared in his last role, as the eponymous character of the TV film Monsieur Max, directed by Gabriel Aghion. [1] Godard described him as "the French Cary Grant," while Brialy's self-described "life models" had reportedly been actor Sacha Guitry and director Jean Cocteau. [2] [3]

Brialy directed a number of films, including Églantine in 1971, which was loosely inspired by his own memories of a happy childhood spent in Chambellay with his grandparents, and Les volets clos (Closed shutters) in 1972. [1]

He owned the restaurant L'Orangerie, on the Île Saint-Louis; he'd also worked as a TV presenter, a singer, and a radio host. [4] During the presentation of one of his books, Brialy described himself this way: "I'm a boy who got lucky enough to do what I love in life". [5]

Personal life and death

Brialy, in 1959, acquired a château in the commune of Monthyon, near Paris. [6] There, he accommodated and entertained many friends from the cinema and the theatre, such as Jean Marais, Pierre Arditi, and Romy Schneider whom he'd met during the 1958 production of the film Christine . Schneider, after the 1981 fatal accident of her son David, found a "refuge from the paparazzi " in Brialy's home. [6] French singer Barbara would often sing at the piano. Director Jean-Pierre Melville used the château to shoot the last scenes of his 1970 crime film Le Cercle Rouge , where Alain Delon and Yves Montand are killed by the police. [7]

In his books, the autobiographical Le Ruisseau des singes (The river of monkeys) (2000) and the memoir J'ai oublié de vous dire (I Forgot to Tell You) (2004), [note 1] Brialy revealed that, despite early affairs with women, he was gay. [4]

Brialy died on 30 May 2007, in his Monthyon home, after a long time with cancer. [8] He bequeathed his Monthyon estate to the commune of Meaux, near Monthyon, with the following codicil: that the Meaux authorities would finance the estate's maintenance as long as his partner, Bruno Finck (1962-2021) would reside there. [6] In the summer of 2020, Finck left the estate and, for "health reasons," moved to the south of France, upon which time the commune of Meaux assumed full ownership of the estate. At the end of January 2021, the mayor invited the association of the Friends of Jean-Claude Brialy to "work in close collaboration [with Meaux]" in the context of "enhancing" the star's "heritage." [9]

Honours

Filmography

As actor

YearTitleRoleDirectorNotes
1956 Fool's Mate Claude Jacques Rivette Short
La Sonate à KreutzerTrukhacevskijÉric Rohmer
1957 A Friend of the Family Philippe LemonnierPaolo Sorrentino
Young Girls BewareLe client du sexy-barYves AllégretUncredited
Amour de poche Jean-Loup Pierre Kast
Anyone Can Kill Me Jean-ClaudeHenri Decoin
1958 Elevator to the Gallows a chess player Louis Malle Uncredited
School for Coquettes Robert Jacqueline Audry
Le Beau Serge François Baillou Claude Chabrol
White Cargo Jean Georges Lacombe
The Lovers the house husband Louis Malle Uncredited
And Your Sister? Bruno PuymartinMaurice Delbez
Christine Théo Kaiser Pierre Gaspard-Huit
1959 Les Cousins Paul ThomasClaude Chabrol
The 400 Blows Man in StreetFrançois Truffaut
All the Boys Are Called Patrick Patrick Jean-Luc Godard Short
Way of Youth Paul Tiercelin Michel Boisrond
Bad Girls Don't Cry Scintillone Mauro Bolognini
Eyes of Love Pierre Ségur Denys de La Patellière
1960 Le Bel Âge  [ fr ]Jean-Claude Pierre Kast
The Gigolo Jacky Jacques Deray
The Army Game CapitaineFrançois Truffaut and Claude de GivrayUncredited
1961 A Story of Water young man in a carJean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut Short
Wise Guys RonaldClaude Chabrol
A Woman Is a Woman Émile RécamierJean-Luc Godard
Three Faces of Sin Laurent Renaud François Villiers
The Lions Are Loose Didier Marèze Henri Verneuil
Amores CélebresTörringMichel Boisrond(segment "Agnès Bernauer")
Paris Belongs to Us Jean-MarcJacques Rivette
1962 A Very Private Affair narratorLouis MalleVoice, Uncredited
The Burning Court Marc Desgrez Julien Duvivier
The Seven Deadly Sins ArthurClaude Chabrol(segment "Avarice, L'")
Girl on the Road Jean-Claude Jacqueline Audry
Sentimental Education Frédéric Moreau Alexandre Astruc
Cléo from 5 to 7 the male nurse Agnès Varda Uncredited
Arsène Lupin contre Arsène Lupin  [ fr ]François de Vierne Édouard Molinaro
The Devil and the Ten Commandments Didier MartinJulien Duvivier(segment "Bien d'autrui ne prendras")
1963 Two Are Guilty Jean-Philippe Prévost André Cayatte
People in Luck a young man in a car Jack Pinoteau (segment "Un gros lot"), Uncredited
Carom Shots Paul Martin Marcel Bluwal
La banda Casaroli Corrado Minguzzi Florestano Vancini
Nutty, Naughty Chateau Sébastien Roger Vadim
1964 La Bonne Soupe JacquotRobert Thomas
Tonio Kröger Tonio Kröger Rolf Thiele
Male Hunt Antoine MonteilÉdouard Molinaro
Circle of Love AlfredRoger Vadim
Male Companion Antoine Philippe de Broca
Comment épouser un premier ministre  [ fr ]Philippe Lambert Michel Boisrond
Les siffleursJean-Claude BrialyCorneliu Porumboiu
Love at Sea L'homme qui aime la nuit et la jeunesse Guy Gilles cameo appearance
1965L'Amour à la chaîneLe spectateur du cabaretClaude de GivrayUncredited
La bonne occaseMichel DrachCameo Appearance
Cent briques et des tuiles MarcelPierre Grimblat
The Mandrake Ligurio Alberto Lattuada
I Knew Her Well Dario Marchionni Antonio Pietrangeli
1966 Our Husbands Ottavio Luigi Zampa (segment "Il marito di Olga")
King of Hearts the Duke of TrèflePhilippe de Broca
1967 Anna Serge Pierre Koralnik TV movie
Shock Troops JeanCosta-Gavras
The Oldest Profession PhilibertPhilippe de Broca(segment "Mademoiselle Mimi")
Lamiel the Count of Aubigné Jean Aurel
Operation St. Peter's Cajella Lucio Fulci
1968 Manon 70 Jean-PaulJean Aurel
Darling Caroline Comte de Boimussy Denys de La Patellière
The Bride Wore Black CoreyFrançois Truffaut
1970 The Ball of Count Orgel Count of Orgel Marc Allégret
Claire's Knee Jérôme Éric Rohmer
1971 Gang War Domenico "Mimì" Gargiulo Steno
A Season in Hell Paul Verlaine Nelo Risi
1972 Un meurtre est un meurtre  [ fr ]Paul Kastner Étienne Périer
1973 A Rare Bird Armand, 'l'oiseau rare'Jean-Claude Brialy
1974 Loving in the Rain Le dragueurJean-Claude Brialy
The Phantom of Liberty Monsieur Foucault Luis Buñuel
Like a Pot of Strawberries NorbertJean Aurel
1975 Catherine & Co. GuillaumeMichel Boisrond
Les Onze Mille VergesLe client de la gallerie d'artÉric LipmannUncredited
1976 The Judge and the Assassin Villedieu Bertrand Tavernier
Un animal doué de déraisonClaudePierre Kast
Scrambled Eggs Brumaire Joël Santoni
L'Année saintePierre Bizet Jean Girault
Barocco Walt, the editor André Téchiné
1977 Julie pot de colle  [ fr ]Jean-Luc Philippe de Broca
The Accuser Le Rantec Jean-Louis Bertucelli
Pour ClémenceNarratorCharles BelmontVoice
Double Murder Van Nijlen Steno
1978 Robert et Robert Jacques Millet Claude Lelouch
The Song of Roland Le SeigneurFrank Cassenti
1979 Le Maître-nageur LoganJean-Louis Trintignant
Bobo JaccoGuillaumeWalter Bal
1980L'oeil du maîtreCazeauStéphane Kurc
The Lady Banker Paul Cisterne Francis Girod
1981 Les Uns et les Autres the Lido's directorClaude Lelouch
1982 That Night in Varennes Monsieur Jacob Ettore Scola
The Girl from Trieste Professor Martin Pasquale Festa Campanile
1983Le Démon dans l'îleDr. Paul Henry MarshallFrancis Leroi
Cap Canaille Samuel Kedabjan Juliet Berto and Jean-Henri Roger
Deadly Circuit Monsieur Voragine Claude Miller
Édith et Marcel Loulou BarrierClaude Lelouch
SarahGabriel LarcangeMaurice Dugowson
StellaRoland Caron Laurent Heynemann
La Crime  [ fr ]Jean-François Rambert Philippe Labro
Gramps Is in the Resistance tennis player sycophant Jean-Marie Poiré
1984 Pinot simple flic MorcyGérard Jugnot
1985 Le téléphone sonne toujours deux fois!! the inspectorJean-Pierre Vergne
Le 4ème pouvoirSerge LeroyTV director
Le Mariage du siècleKaffenbergPhilippe Galland
An Impudent Girl SamClaude Miller
1986 Inspecteur Lavardin Claude AlvarezClaude Chabrol
Suivez mon regardFreddy Langlois, l'impresarioJean Curtelin
A Man and a Woman: 20 Years Later Un spectateur de '40 ans déjà'Claude LelouchUncredited
Le DébutantWillyDaniel Janneau
1987Lévy et GoliathBijou / DelarocheGérard Oury
Grand GuignolM. AlbertJean Marboeuf
Maschenka Kolin John Goldschmidt
Le MoustachuLeroyDominique Chaussois
Maladie d'amour Frédéric Jacques Deray
Les Innocents KlotzAndré Téchiné
1989Comédie d'étéGastonDaniel Vigne
1990 There Was a Castle with Forty Dogs the judge Duccio Tessari
My New Partner II Le banquierClaude Zidi
Faux et usage de fauxCharles Laumière Laurent Heynemann
No Fear, No Die Pierre Ardennes Claire Denis
1991AoûtMartinHenri Herré
1994 La Reine Margot Coligny Patrice Chéreau
The Monster Mr. Roccarotta Roberto Benigni
1995 One Hundred and One Nights the guide for Japanese tourists Agnès Varda
A French Woman ArnoultRégis Wargnier
Beaumarchais Abbot Édouard Molinaro
Le Fils de Gascogne Himself Pascal Aubier
1996 Beaumarchais AbbotÉdouard Molinaro
Unpredictable Nature of the River Monsieur de Saint-Chamont Bernard Giraudeau
Portraits chinoisRené SandreMartine Dugowson
1999L'Homme de ma vieLucien VilnerStéphane Kurc
Kennedy et moi Benny GrimaldiSam Karmann
2000 Les Acteurs Himself Bertrand Blier
In extremis The lawyerÉtienne Faure
2001 Concorrenza sleale Nonno MattiaEttore Scola
South Kensington Fernandino Carlo Vanzina
2002Les Filles, personne s'en méfieLe projectionnisteCharlotte Silvera
Special Delivery Robert FresnelJeanne Labrune
2003 The Car Keys Himself Laurent Baffie
2004 People Minimo Fabien Onteniente
2005 Quartier V.I.P. Ferdinand Laurent Firode
Les Rois maudits Hugues de Bouville Josée Dayan Episode: "Le Roi de Fer"
2007 Vous êtes de la police ? Alfred LamproieRomuald Beugnon(final film role)

As director

Notes

  1. During a presentation of the book, Brialy insisted that "The lives of other people are often more interesting than one’s own." See Sturmey (2005)

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Jean-Claude Brialy est mort à 74 ans" [Jean-Claude Brialy is dead at 74 years]. Le Monde (in French). Reuters. 31 May 2007. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  2. "Jean Claude Brialy" . The Times . 2 June 2007. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  3. Sturmey, Christine (18 March 2005). "'I am a boy who got lucky in life'". Kathimerini . Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  4. 1 2 Têtu magazine, July–August 2007 issue, p.22
  5. Wilmington, Michael (18 August 1994). "'Claire's Knee' is a summer treat on film". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 Arlot, Alexandre (23 October 2020). "Seine-et-Marne : refuge des stars, le château de Jean-Claude Brialy s'ouvrira au public" [Seine-et-Marne: refuge of stars, the castle of Jean-Claude Brialy will be open to the public]. Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  7. "Polémique sur le coût du château de Jean-Claude Brialy, légué à la ville de Meaux" [Controversy over the cost of Jean-Claude Brialy's castle, bequeathed to the city of Meaux]. Le Figaro (in French). 17 March 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  8. "Vive émotion après la mort" [Strong emotion after the death]. Le Monde (in French). Reuters. 1 June 2007. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  9. Gruaz, Audrey (13 February 2021). "Seine-et-Marne : la maison de Jean-Claude Brialy va s'ouvrir aux visiteurs" [Seine-et-Marne : the home of Jean-Claude Brialy will open to visitors]. Actu France (in French). Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  10. "Ordonnance Souveraine n° 15.565 du 18 novembre 2002 portant promotions ou nominations dans l'Ordre du Mérite Culturel". Journal de Monaco (in French). Principauté de Monaco. 22 November 2002. Retrieved 23 October 2021.