Pierre Richard-Willm (3 November 1895 – 12 April 1983) was a French stage and film actor during the 1930s and 1940s."Pierre Richard-Willm" a
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Retrieved 1 November 2020.

Biography

Pierre Richard-Willm (originally Alexandre-Pierre Richard) was born in south-western France in the city of

Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...

. He was brought up at first in Barcelona and then, after the death of his mother Elisabeth-Fanny Willm, in Paris. In 1916 he joined the army, and fought during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. After the war he became a sculptor, and in 1921 he started playing bit roles on stage. In 1924 he took part of in the sculpturing art competition of the Games of the VIII Olympiad, making a group of sculptures on rugby and skating. In 1925 he was chosen by

Ida Rubinstein Ida Lvovna Rubinstein (; – 20 September 1960) was a dancer, actress, art patron and Belle Époque figure from the Russian Empire. She performed with Diaghilev's Ballets Russes from 1909 to 1911 and later formed her own company. ''Bolero (Rave ...

to appear with her in a stage production of ''

La Dame aux camélias ''The Lady of the Camellias'' (), sometimes called ''Camille'' in English, is a novel by Alexandre Dumas ''fils''. First published in 1848 and subsequently adapted by Dumas for the stage, the play premiered at the Théâtre du Vaudeville in P ...

'' at the Odéon in Paris, and other leading roles at that theatre followed."Pierre Richard-Willm" i
''Encyclopædia Universalis''Archived
at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 1 November 2020. His film debut came in ''Toute sa vie'' (1930, under the direction of

Alberto Cavalcanti Alberto de Almeida Cavalcanti (February 6, 1897 – August 23, 1982) was a Brazilian-born film director and producer. He was often credited under the single name "Cavalcanti". Early life Cavalcanti was born in Rio de Janeiro, the son of a p ...

, and in 1934 he found one of his most successful film roles in Jacques Feyder's '' Le Grand Jeu''. Throughout the 1930s he made several films each year, often appearing as military or aristocratic characters, and he became a very popular star despite feeling sometimes ill at ease with his romantic screen persona. One of Richard-Willm's frequent co-stars was

Edwige Feuillère Edwige Feuillère (born Edwige Louise Caroline Cunatti; 29 October 1907 – 13 November 1998) was a French stage and film actress. Biography She was born Edwige Louise Caroline Cunatti to an Italian architect father and an Alsace-born moth ...

, and it was with her that he returned to the stage in Paris and on tour in ''La Dame aux Camélias'' in 1940/41. He also continued acting in films during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, including the role of Edmond Dantes in '' Le Comte de Monte-Cristo''. In 1946 he decided to give up working in the cinema and he went to the

Théâtre du Peuple The Théâtre du peuple is a theater located in Bussang, France, built in 1895 by Maurice Pottecher. The theatre was added to the list of historical monuments in 1975 and is always in activity, putting on a new performance each year. Performances ...

Bussang Bussang (; or ''Büssing'') is a commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in Northeastern France. Known as the source of the Moselle River. See also *Communes of the Vosges department The following is a list of the 506 communes of t ...

in the

Vosges The Vosges ( , ; ; Franconian and ) is a range of medium mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single geomorphological unit and ...

, a theatre with which he had maintained a close connection ever since his first visit there as a teenager in 1911. He became its artistic director from 1946 until 1971 and in numerous new productions he worked extensively on the design of sets and costumes.Pierre Richard-Willm. ''Loin des étoiles''. Paris: Belfond, 1975. p. 312. In 1975 Richard-Willm published his autobiography under the title ''Loin des étoiles''. He died in Paris, and is buried at the cemetery in Bussang.

Filmography

References

External links

* *
Pierre Richard-Willm website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richard-Willm, Pierre 1895 births 1983 deaths People from Bayonne Male actors from Nouvelle-Aquitaine French male film actors 20th-century French male actors 20th-century French sculptors French male sculptors Art competitors at the 1924 Summer Olympics French theatre directors French military personnel of World War I