BRASSEUR, CLAUDE

(1936- )

Actor. The son of the actorsOdette JoyeuxandPierre Brasseur, Claude Brasseur studied at the Conservatoire National d'Art Dramatique in Paris and became a reputable theater actor in the 1950s, working in plays such asMarcel Pagnol'sJudas. His first film appearance was in Georges Lampin's 1956 comedyRencontre à Paris(1956), followed by a role inMarcel Carné'sLe Pays d'où je viens(1956). In 1959, he appeared with his father inGeorges Franju'sLes Yeux sans visage. In addition to acting, Brasseur had a reputation as a daredevil. His pastimes included racing in the Paris-Dakar rally and parachuting.

In the 1960s, Brasseur worked for some of France's most significant directors, includingJean RenoirinLe Caporal épingle(1961) and Yves Allégret inGerminal(1962).He was also cast in several films associated with theNouvelle Vagueor New Wave, includingClaude Chabrol'sLes Sept Péchés capitaux(1962),Jean-Luc Godard'sBande à part(1964), andFrançois Truffaut'sUne belle fille comme moi(1972). Brasseur appeared in a number of thrillers, among themCosta-Gavras'sUn homme de trop(1967) andGeorges Lautner'sLes Seins de glace(1974). He also flourished in comedies. In 1976, he won aCésar Awardfor Best Supporting Actor inUn éléphant,ça trompe énormément(1976). The following year, he appeared inYves Robert'sNous irons tous au paradis.

Brasseur worked in a variety of genres alongside other well-known French actors. For example, he acted in Christian de Chalonge's thrillerL'argent des autres(1978) withJean-Louis Trintignant,Michel Serrault, andCatherine Deneuve, inClaude Sautet'sUne histore simple(1978) withRomy Schneider, and in Joël Santoni'sIls sont grands,ces petits(1979), again with Deneuve. He remained active in the 1980s, playing Guy de Maupassant in Michel Drach's 1982 film of the same name, and starring in Serge Leroy'sLégitime violence(1982); Philippe Labro'sLa Crime(1983);Edouard Molinaro'sPalace(1985); Francis Girod'sDescente aux enfers(1986); Godard'sDétective(1985); Roger Planchon'sDandin(1987), based on the play by Molière; Alain Page'sTaxi boy(1986); Yves Boisset'sRadio corbeau(1988); and Jacques Rouffio'sL'Orchestre rouge(1989), among other films.

In the 1990s, Brasseur was less engaged in cinema acting, but still landed major roles in Catherine Breillat'sSale comme un ange(1990), Gilles Béhat'sDancing Machine(1990), Molinaro'sLe Souper(1992) — for which he received a César nomination for best actor—Francis De Gueltz'sLes Ténors(1993), Dominque Cabrera'sL'Autre côté de la mer(1996), and Robert Enrico'sFait d'hiver(1998). Brasseur also acts in television. In the 1970s, he played the lead in the French TV seriesVidocq; more recently, he led the cast of the television detective seriesFranck Keller, and acted in the television filmEdda, in which he plays Benito Mussolini.