CATELAIN, JACQUE

(1897-1965)

Actor and director. Born Jacques Guerin-Castelain, Jacque Catelain got his start in the silent cinema as an actor forGaumont. His first film role was in René Hervil andLouis Mercanton'sLe Torrent(1917). Catelain went on to be the dashing star of many ofMarcel L'Herbier's films of the day, includingRose-France(1918),Le Bercail(1919),Le Carnaval des vérités(1920),L'Homme du large(1920),Eldoradao(1921),Don Juan et Faust(1922),L'Inhumaine(1924),Le Vertige(1927),Le Diable au corps(1928), andNuits de princes(1929).He also appeared inLéonce Perret'sKoenigsmark(1923), Viktor Tourjansky'sLe Prince charmant(1925), andHenri Fescourt'sL'Occident(1927), among other films.

In 1923, Catelain tried his hand at directing, directing himself inLe Marchand de plaisirs. He directed himself again the following year in the filmLa Galérie des monstres(1924). He did not direct again for most of his career, with the exception of two turns at assistant director, one on L'Herbier'sLa Porte du large(1936), and one on the

French version of Giorgi Ferroni and L'Herbier's filmTerra di fuoco(1939).

Catelain managed the transition to sound with little difficulty. His first speaking role was inJacques de Baroncelli'sLe Rêve(1930). He also continued to work with L'Herbier, appearing in films such asL 'Enfant de l'amour(1930),Le Bonheur(1934),La Route impériale(1935),Adrienne Lecouvreur(1939),Entente cordiale(1939), andLa Comédie du bonheur(1942). He also appeared inGaston Ravel'sMonsieur de Porceaugnac(1932),Abel Gance'sLe Voleur de femmes(1936), Jean de Limur'sLa Garçonne(1936), andJean Renoir'sLaMarseilleise(1938). Catelain's talent was attested to not only by L'Herbier's strong preference for the actor (he was more than a pretty face), but also by the number of other directors he worked with. It is also attested to by the fact that he maintained a successful stage career as well.

Catelain fled to the United States during the Nazi Occupation of France. There, he had a handful of uncredited roles in Hollywood films but did not have much other luck. The time away from France also took its toll on his French career. After the war, Catelain appeared in such L'Herbier films asLa Révoltée(1948) andLes Derniers jours de Pompei(1950), but apart from that, he managed only small roles in Gilles Grangier'sAmour et compagnie(1950), Renoir'sFrench Can Can(1955),Élena et les hommes(1959), andLe Testament du Docteur Cordelier(1959), which was his last film.