ROULEAU, RAYMOND

(1904-1981)

Actor and director. Raymond Rouleau made his film debut at the end of the sound era with a small part inMarcel L'Herbier's silent classic,L 'Argent(1928). He built his screen career throughout the 1930s with a steady series of supporting roles in films such asLéo Joannen'sSuzanne(1932), which Rouleau codirected, André Charlot and Alexander Esway'sLe Jugement de minuit(1932),Jean-Paul Paulin'sLa Femme nue(1932), Viktor Tourjansky'sVolga en flammes(1934),Marc Allegret'sLes Beaux jours(1935),Pierre Chenal'sL'Affaire Lafarge(1938), Georg Wilhelm Pabst'sLe Drame de Shanghaï(1938),Pierre Fresnay'sLe Duel(1939), andLéonideMoguy'sConflit(1939).

Rouleau began the 1940s with roles in films such asChristian-Jacque'sPremier bal(1941) andL'Assassinat du Père Noël(1941), Maurice Tourneur'sMam'zelle Bonaparte(1942), andRobert Vernay'sLa Femme que j'ai la plus aimée(1942).By the mid-1940s, Rouleau moved from supporting actor to lead actor status, attracting starring roles in a number of films, including L'Herbier andJacques de Baroncelli'sL 'Honorable Catherine(1943), Jacques Daniel-Norman'sL'Aventure est au coin de la rue(1944),Jacques Becker'sFalbalas(1945), Richard Pottier'sVertiges(1947), andAndré Hunébelle'sMission à Tanger(1949). Rouleau reprised the character of detective Georges Masse, played in Hunébelle's film, in later films includingMéfiez-vous des blondes(1950) andMassacre en dentelles(1952). The type suited him well and he went on to play other hardboiled characters in Gilles Grangier'sLes Femmes sontfolles(1950),Henri Verneuil'sBrelan d'as(1952),Henri Decoin'sLes Intrigantes(1954), and Maurice Cloche'sLe Fric(1959). Rouleau had small roles in a handful of films in the 1960s, includingJean-Pierre Mocky'sLa Grande frousse(1964). He gave up screen acting after 1965.

In addition to acting, Rouleau directed a number of films, includingUne vie perdue(1933),Le Messager(1937), and the musical dance filmLes Amants de Teruel(1962). During the 1970s and early 1980s, he directed television productions and he also directed for the theater. Rouleau also wrote the screenplay forLes Amants de Teruel(1962) and for several of his television productions. He continued working in television until his death.