Most famous French actors – Part IV

• Louis de Funès (31st July, 1914 – 27th January, 1983)

He was a  who is still considered to be one of the giants of French comedy. His acting style is remembered for its high energy performance, a wide range of facial expressions and an engaging, snappy impatience. In fact, in many of his films, he was playing the role of a middle-aged or older man with a propensity to hyperactivity, bad faith, and uncontrolled anger. Along with his short height and his facial contortions, this hyperactivity produced a highly comic effect.
He was hugely successful in several countries for many years — France, also in French-speaking Canada, Mauritius, Bulgaria, Hungary, Iran, Spain, Germany, Belgium, former Yugoslavia, The Netherlands, Italy, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Albania, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Lebanon, Israel, Turkey, China and the Soviet Union — but remained almost unknown in the English-speaking world. He was only noted in the United States in 1974 with the release of “The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob”. In a 1968 poll, he was voted France’s favorite actor.
In his later years, De Funès suffered from a heart condition after having suffered a heart attack for straining himself too much with his stage antics. He eventually died of a massive stroke. De Funès was said to be a very shy person in real life, unlike the characters he played.
Filmography:
* 1945 : La tentation de Barbizon
* 1946 : Six heures à perdre
* 1946 : Dernier refuge
* 1947 : Antoine et Antoinette
* 1947 : Croisière pour l’inconnu
* 1948 : Du Guesclin
* 1949 : Vient de paraître
* 1949 : Mon ami Sainfoin