MOULOUDJI

(1922-1994)

Actor. Born in Paris to an Algerian Kabyle father and a French mother, Marcel Mouloudji grew up in a working-class household. His mother was an alcoholic who had to be institutionalized, and Mouloudji was raised by his father. Through his father's connections to the Communist Party, Mouloudji was introduced to theGroupe Octobre, and it was through that group that he came to the theater and then the cinema.

Mouloudji began his career on the stage, working with Jacques Prévert andJean-Louis Barrault, whom he had met through the Groupe Octobre.He got his first film role in 1936, when Prévert introduced him toMarcel Carné, who then cast him in his filmJenny(1936). That same year, Mouloudji also appeared inRené Guissart'sMénilmontant(1936) and Jacques Daroy'sLa Guerre des gosses(1936). He went on to become an established supporting actor, appearing in more than thirty films during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. He worked frequently with directorChristian-Jacque, appearing inA Venise,une nuit(1937),Les Disparus de Saint-Agil(1938),Le Grand élan(1939),L'Enfer des anges(1941),Premier bal(1941), andBoule de suif(1945). Probably his best-known role is in André Cayatte'sNous sommes tous des assassins(1952). He also worked with Cayatte on the filmJustice est faite(1950).

Among the other films in which Mouloudji appeared are Alexandre Ryder'sMirages(1937),Serge de Poligny'sClaudine à l'école(1937),Henri Decoin'sLes Inconnus dans la maison(1942), Jean Dréville'sLesRoquevillard(1943) andLes Cadets de l'océan(1945), André Berthomieu'sAnge de la nuit(1944), Alexander Esway'sLe Batallion du ciel(1947),Jean Delannoy'sLes Jeux sont faits(1947),Henri Calef'sBagarres(1948) andLes Eaux troubles(1949),Henri Diamant-Berger'sLa Maternelle(1949),Sacha Guitry'sLa Vie d'un honnête homme(1953),Maurice de Canonge'sBoum sur Paris(1954), Decoin, Delannoy, and Ralph Habib'sLes Secrets d'alcove(1954), Pierre Billon'sJusqu'au dernier(1957), andPierre Chenal'sRafles sur la ville(1958). Like other actors such asMarcel Dalio, Mouloudji's origins likely kept him from becoming a more prominent actor. He was often typecast as the Jew or the criminal. He was a talented actor, and in another era he might have had lead roles.

In addition to acting, Mouloudji was also a talented singer. Although he first became interested in singing during the Occupation, when forced to flee to theZone Librein the South of France he did not establish himself in the field until the 1950s. He wrote and recorded numerous songs and became quite successful. In 1980, a performance of him singing at the Olympia was broadcast on French television. Although he did not appear in film after 1960, Mouloudji did continue to act in the theater. He is the father of actress and singer Annabelle Mouloudji.