Pierre-Louis Le Bris (6 February 1929 – 6 June 2015), known as Pierre Brice, was a

French actor This is a list of notable actors and actresses from France. ''(Persons are listed alphabetically according to their surname.)'' A * Kev Adams * Isabelle Adjani * Fatima Adoum * Renée Adorée * Anouk Aimée * Madame Albert * Catherine All ...

, best known as portraying fictional

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño a ...

-chief Winnetou in German films based on Karl May novels.

Life and films

Brice was born in Brest,

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

, France. When he was 19, Brice enlisted in the

French Army History Early history The first permanent army, paid with regular wages, instead of feudal levies, was established under Charles VII of France, Charles VII in the 1420 to 1430s. The Kings of France needed reliable troops during and after the ...

and fought in the First Indochina War. While patrolling in Indochina, one of his team triggered a mine and its explosion sent Brice whirling through the air, but left him virtually unhurt. Member of the Commandos Marine, special forces units of the

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

, he served later as a paratrooper during the

Algerian War The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence,( ar, الثورة الجزائرية '; '' ber, Tagrawla Tadzayrit''; french: Guerre d'Algérie or ') and sometimes in Algeria as the War of 1 November ...

. From 1962 to 1968 he acted in a total of eleven West German Western movies adapted from novels by German author Karl May, in which he played the fictional Native American chief Winnetou of the Mescalero Apache tribe, alongside Lex Barker (7 movies), Stewart Granger (3 movies) and Rod Cameron (1 movie) as co-stars. After the films he also played this role at the ''Karl May Festspiele'' in Elspe from 1977 to 1980 and 1982 to 1986 and at the Karl May Festival in Bad Segeberg open-air theatre, Germany, from 1988 to 1991; he also worked there until 1999 as director of several open-air theatre productions. (The open-air theatre in

Bad Segeberg Bad Segeberg (; Low German: Sebarg) is a German town of 16,000 inhabitants, located in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, capital of the district (Kreis) Segeberg. It is situated approximately northeast of Hamburg, and west of Lübeck. It is famo ...

is dedicated only to productions of Karl May plays.) Besides theatre productions, he was mainly seen in TV-series, including '' Ein Schloß am Wörthersee'' (A Castle by the Wörthersee) and ''Die Hütte am See'' (Lakeview Cottage). In 1979 Brice again played Winnetou in a 14-part TV series called '' Mein Freund Winnetou'' (''My friend Winnetou – Winnetou le Mescalero''), which did not originate from Karl May material. In 1997 he appeared in a two-part TV

mini series The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...

' (''The Return of Winnetou''), which earned devastating criticism from the fans, since the character had died in the movie '' Winnetou III'' and now suddenly returned to life. Again, this did not originate from writings by Karl May. Brice tried to escape the Winnetou character in a 1976 TV series, ''

Star Maidens ''Star Maidens'' is a British-German science-fiction television series, made by Portman Productions for the ITV network. Produced in 1975, and first broadcast in 1976, it was filmed at Bray Studios and on location in Windsor and Bracknell, B ...

'', and in several movies for the big screen, playing '' Zorro'' in the Italian ''

Zorro contro Maciste ''Samson and the Slave Queen'' ( it, Zorro contro Maciste) is a 1963 Italian '' peplum'' directed by Umberto Lenzi. It was originally made as a Maciste film in Italy, in which the fabled strongman meets Zorro. It was redubbed into a "Samson" movi ...

'' (1963). He also worked with Terence Hill (still called ''Mario Girotti'' at the time) in ''

Shots in Threequarter Time ''Shots in Threequarter Time'' (german: Schüsse im Dreivierteltakt, it, Operazione terzo uomo) is a 1965 crime film directed by Alfred Weidenmann. Plot The film begins in Paris. A man, called Bérard, flees from his pursuers with a metal suitc ...

'' (1965), with Lex Barker in a non-Karl May film ''

The Hell of Manitoba ''The Hell of Manitoba'' (german: Die Hölle von Manitoba) is a 1965 West-German-Spanish-Italian western film directed by Sheldon Reynolds (producer), Sheldon Reynolds and starring Lex Barker, Pierre Brice and Gérard Tichy. In the United States ...

'' ( ''A Place Called Glory'') (1965) and in the anthology ''

Killer's Carnival ''Killer's Carnival'' (french: Carnaval des barbouzes, german: Gern hab' ich die Frauen gekillt, it, Spie contro il mondo) is a 1966 crime film directed by Alberto Cardone and starring Stewart Granger. Plot A murderer takes refuge in a doctor ...

'' (1966). Pierre Brice died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...

on 6 June 2015 in a Paris hospital.

Singing career

Like Lex Barker (who recorded two tracks as a singer), Brice tried to sing with the help of German composer Martin Boettcher, and even managed to issue several singles and CDs. Most of the songs were in German and, as Brice did not understand the language at the time of recording, he had to sing them phonetically. *PIERRE BRICE: Ich steh' allein / Ribanna – DECCA D 19 557 (mono) *PIERRE BRICE: Wunderschön / Keiner weiß den Tag – Decca, D 19 560 *PIERRE BRICE: Winnetou, Du warst mein Freund / Meine roten Brüder – Barclay *PIERRE BRICE: Du fehlst mir / Der große Traum – CBS *Winnetou du warst mein Freund – 1996, sampler CD, Bear Family Records
contains the above songs, as well as Lex Barker songs.

Partial filmography

*''Ça va barder'' (1955) - (uncredited) *''Le Septième Ciel'' (1958) - Un joueur *'' Young Sinners'' (''Les Tricheurs''), directed by

Marcel Carné Marcel Albert Carné (; 18 August 1906 – 31 October 1996) was a French film director. A key figure in the poetic realism movement, Carné's best known films include ''Port of Shadows'' (1938), ''Le Jour Se Lève'' (1939), '' The Devil's Envoys ...

(1958) - Bernard *''

Le Miroir à deux faces ''Le Miroir à deux faces'' is a 1958 French drama film directed by André Cayatte who co-wrote screenplay with Gérard Oury, Jean Meckert and Denis Perret. The film stars Michèle Morgan, Bourvil and Ivan Desny. It was called ''The Mirror Has ...

'' (1958) - Jacques *''

The Restless and the Damned ''The Restless and the Damned'' (also known as ''L'Ambitieuse'') is a 1959 French-Australian film co produced by Lee Robinson. It was shot on location in Tahiti and the Tuamotu Islands. There are French and English-language versions. Synopsis I ...

'' (1959) - (uncredited) *'' The Cossacks'' (1960) - Boris Sarubin *''

Lipstick Lipstick is a cosmetic product used to apply coloration and texture to lips, often made of wax and oil. Different pigments are used to produce color, and minerals such as silica may be used to provide texture. The use of lipstick dates bac ...

'' (''Il rossetto''), directed by Damiano Damiani (1960) - Gino Luciani *''

Call Girls of Rome ''Call Girls of Rome'' ( it, I piaceri del sabato notte, lit=The pleasures of Saturday night) is a 1960 Italian film directed by Daniele D'Anza and starring Andreina Pagnani, Jeanne Valérie, Scilla Gabel, and Elsa Martinelli. Jean Murat also ...

'' (1960) - L'avvocato Aldo *''

Mill of the Stone Women ''Mill of the Stone Women'' ( it, Il mulino delle donne di pietra) is a 1960 Italian horror film directed by Giorgio Ferroni, starring Pierre Brice and Scilla Gabel. It follows a journalist writing a story on a sculptor in 19th-century Hollan ...

'' (1960) - Hans von Arnim *''L'Homme à femmes'' (1960) - Laurent Berty *'' The Pharaohs' Woman'' (''La Donna dei Faraoni'', 1960) - Amosis the Physician *'' The Bacchantes'' (1961) - Dionysus *'' Akiko'' (1961) - Duilio *'' The Robbers'' (1962) - El Señorito *'' Douce violence'' (1962) - Maddy *''

Invasion 1700 ''Invasion 1700'' ( it, Col ferro e col fuoco, french: Par le fer et par le feu, also known as ''With Fire and Sword'' and ''Daggers of Blood'') is a 1962 Italian-French historical epic film directed by Fernando Cerchio. It is based on the 1884 ...

'' (1962) - Jan Ketusky *'' Treasure of the Silver Lake'' (1962) - Winnetou *''Un alibi per morire'' (1962) *'' The Shortest Day'' (1963) - Un ufficiale austriaco (uncredited) *'' The Invincible Masked Rider'' (1963) - Don Diego Morales *''

'' (''Samson and the Slave Queen'', 1963) - Zorro / Ramon *''

Apache Gold ''Apache Gold'' (german: Winnetou, later retitled to ''Winnetou – 1. Teil''), also known as ''Winnetou the Warrior'', is a 1963 Western film directed by Harald Reinl. It is based on the story of Winnetou, a fictional Native-American Apache he ...

'' (''Winnetou 1'', 1963) - Winnetou *''Pacto de silencio'' (1963) - Jean Clausel *'' Old Shatterhand'' (1964) - Winnetou *''

Golden Goddess of Rio Beni ''Golden Goddess of Rio Beni'' (german: Die goldene Göttin vom Rio Beni) is a 1964 adventure film directed by Franz Eichhorn and Eugenio Martín and starring Pierre Brice, Gillian Hills and René Deltgen.Bock & Bergfelder p.82 It was made as a ...

'' (1964) - Jim *''

Last of the Renegades ''Last of the Renegades'' (german: Winnetou – 2. Teil and also known as ''Winnetou: Last of the Renegades'') is a 1964 German-Italian Western film directed by Harald Reinl and starring Pierre Brice, Lex Barker, and Anthony Steel. It is based ...

'' (''Winnetou 2'', 1964) - Winnetou *''

Among Vultures ''Among Vultures'' (German: ''Unter Geiern'') is a 1964 Western film directed by Alfred Vohrer and starring Stewart Granger, Pierre Brice, Elke Sommer and Götz George. It was also released as ''Frontier Hellcat''. The film was a co-production ...

'' (1964) - Winnetou *''

'' (1965) - Philippe Tissot *''

'' (1965) - Reese *''

The Oil Prince The Oil Prince (German: ''Der Ölprinz'') is a 1965 West German-Yugoslav western film directed by Harald Philipp and starring Stewart Granger, Pierre Brice and Harald Leipnitz. It was also known as ''Rampage at Apache Wells''. The screenplay is ...

'' (1965) - Winnetou *'' The Desperado Trail'' (''Winnetou 3'', 1965) - Winnetou *''

Old Surehand ''Old Surehand'' (german: Old Surehand 1. Teil, also known as ''Flaming Frontier'') is a 1965 German Western film starring Stewart Granger, Pierre Brice and Letitia Roman. The film is based on a novel by Karl May. It was shot at the Spanda ...

'' (1965) - Winnetou *''

Dacii The Dacians (; la, Daci ; grc-gre, Δάκοι, Δάοι, Δάκαι) were the ancient Indo-European inhabitants of the cultural region of Dacia, located in the area near the Carpathian Mountains and west of the Black Sea. They are often cons ...

'' (1966) - Roman General Septimius Severus *''

'' (1966) - Agent Brice (Rome segment) *'' Winnetou and the Crossbreed'' (1966) - Winnetou *'' Winnetou and Old Firehand'' (1966) - Winnetou *' (1967) - François *'' The Valley of Death'' (1968) - Winnetou *''Un giorno, una vita'' (1970) - Giuliano * '' Erika'' (1971) - Renato Laurana *''

The Night of the Damned ''The Night of the Damned'' ( it, La notte dei dannati) is a 1971 film directed by Filippo Ratti. Plot The married couple Jean and Danielle Duprey receive a letter from a prince, an old friend of Jean's. The letter is in the form of a riddle, wh ...

'' (1971) - Jean Duprey *''Les coups pour rien'' (1971) - Paul *' (1972) - Barrett *' (1973) - Jacques *''Una cuerda al amanecer'' (1974) - Campanita 'Little Bell' *'' Sex Pot'' (''La pupa del gangster'', 1975) - Commissario Salvatore Lambelli *''

'' (1976, TV series) - Adam *'' Mein Freund Winnetou'' (1980, TV series) - Winnetou *'' Ein Schloß am Wörthersee'' (1991–1993, TV series) - André Blondeau *' (1993, TV film) - Pierre Latouche

References

Sources

Pierre Brice biography on (re)Search my Trash

External links

*

Almissa.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Brice, Pierre 1929 births 2015 deaths Actors from Brest, France French male film actors French male television actors French pop singers French military personnel of the First Indochina War French military personnel of the Algerian War Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Deaths from pneumonia in France 20th-century French male singers