DALIO, MARCEL

(1900-1983)

Actor. Marcel Dalio was born Israël Blauschild in Paris. He aspired to be an actor from early on, and began training at the Paris Conservatoire d'art dramatique before being mobilized for military service in 1916. Dalio returned from the war in 1919 but did not resume his studies, preferring instead to try his hand at acting. He got his start in theater and in live revues, working full-time by the 1920s. It was in the theater that he met screenwriters Marcel Achard and Henri Jeanson, and it was perhaps the influence of one, the other, or both that got Dalio his start in cinema.

Dalio's first film role was inUne nuit à l'hôtel(1931). He later appeared inMarc Allégret'sLes Quatre jambes(1932),Robert Bresson'sLes Affaires publiques(1934), andSerge de Poligny'sRetour au paradis(1935). From the early 1930s on, he was a fairly constant presence in films made by the leading directors of the day, particu-larly historical dramas. He appeared inJulien Duvivier'sLe Golem(1935),Abel Gance'sLe Grand Amour de Beethoven(1936), andChristian-Jacque'sLes Perles de la couronne(1937). He went on to appear in Duvivier'sPépé le Moko(1937) and was inJean Renoir'sLa Grande Illusion(1937). In both films, Dalio worked alongsideJean Gabin. These are two of Dalio's best-remembered roles.

Dalio went on to work with another director associated withLe Réalisme poétiqueor poetic realism, appearing inPierre Chenal's 1938 filmLa Maison du maltais.He also worked again with Renoir inLa Règle du jeu(1939), again costarring with Gabin. He also gave memorable performances in films such asRoger Richebé'sLa Tradition de minuit(1939), Robert Bibal andLéon Mathot'sLe Bois sacré(1939), and Dominique Bernard-Deschamps'sTempête(1939). The fact that Dalio was never a star on the order of someone like Gabin says far more about France in the 1920s and 1930s than it does about Dalio as an actor. As he himself once remarked, with his olive skin and dark curly hair, in the society in which he worked, he found himself limited to certain types of roles, those of the Arab or the Jew. Only Renoir, inLa Règle du jeu, would break from the stereotype, casting Dalio as an aristocrat. There is near universal agreement that it was an inspired decision, and the performance is one of Dalio's best.

Dalio spent the war in Hollywood. He managed to find roles in films likeCasablanca(1942) andTo Have and Have Not(1944). He also gave a memorable performance as Georges Clemenceau in Henry King's lauded but disastrous biopic,Wilson(1944). Dalio also worked with King on films such asThe Snows of Kilimanjaro(1952) andThe Sun Also Rises(1957). Upon returning to France after the war, he found that his entire family had been deported to concentration camps and killed. Not a single member survived. He continued to work in American films in the 1950s and 1960s, appearing inGentlemen Prefer Blondes(1953),Sabrina(1954),The Man who Understood Women(1959),Pillow Talk(1959),Can-Can(1960), andHow to Steal a Million(1966), among others.

In France, he appeared in films such asMarc Allégret'sPetrus(1946), oppositeFernandeland Simone Simon; in André Cayatte'sLes Amants de Vérone(1946), withPierre Brasseur; inRené Clément'sLes Maudits(1947); and in Bernard-Roland'sPortrait d'un assassin(1949), opposite Erich Von Stroheim, Maria Montez, andArletty. In the 1950s and 1960s, he appeared inHenri Decoin'sRazzia sur la Chnouf(1955),Claude Sautet'sClasse tous risques(1960),Philippe de Broca'sCartouche(1962), andHenri Verneuil'sLa Vingt-cinquième heure(1967).

The 1970s saw something of a renaissance in Dalio's career. He appeared in Joël Santoni'sLes Yeux fermés(1973) as well as in Gérard Oury'sLes Aventures de Rabbi Jacob(1973). He also appeared in Walerian Borowcyzk's controversial film,La Bête(1975) and in René Féret'sLa Communion solonelle(1977). The 1970s also saw him in a number of made-for-television pieces, including the acclaimed and very popular miniseries,La Famille Cigale(1977). It also marked his return to the stage. Dalio continued working in all three mediums, television, cinema, and theater, almost right up to his death.