René Xavier Marie Alain Cuny (12 July 1908 – 16 May 1994) was a French actor of stage and screen. He was closely linked with the works of Paul Claudel and Antonin Artaud, and for his performances for the Théâtre national populaire and Odéon-Théâtre de France. His film work included collaborations with directors Marcel Carné, Louis Malle,

Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French and Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as ...

, Federico Fellini,

Michelangelo Antonioni Michelangelo Antonioni ( ; ; 29 September 1912 – 30 July 2007) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and editor. He is best known for his "trilogy on modernity and its discontents", ''L'Avventura'' (1960), ''La Notte'' (1961), and '' ...

, Francesco Rosi and

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. He was nominated for the César Award for Best Supporting Actor for the 1988 film ''Camille Claudel'', and won the Joseph Plateau Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992.

Early life

René Xavier Marie Alain Cuny was born in

Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo language, Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany. The Fortification, walled city on the English Channel coast had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth ...

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

.Alain Cuny
, at L'Encinémathèque. Retrieved 22 January 2016. He was brought up by an aunt and spent a large part of his childhood with her, in Boucé, and spent several years in an orphanage. He developed an early interest in painting and from the age of 15 he attended the

École des Beaux-Arts ; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centu ...

Career

In the theatre, Cuny became particularly linked with the works of Paul Claudel (who said of him after a performance of ''L'Annonce faite à Marie'' in 1944, "I have been waiting for you 20 years").James Kirkup
"Obituary: Alain Cuny"
in ''The Independent'', 18 May 1994. Retrieved 22 January 2016. Another literary friend and hero was Antonin Artaud, "whose texts he read with supreme conviction at a time when Artaud was more or less an outcast, a situation reflected in Artaud's ''Van Gogh: The Man Suicided by Society'', which Cuny interpreted in his voice's fabulous organ tones". Later Cuny worked with Jean Vilar at the Théâtre national populaire, and with

Jean-Louis Barrault Jean-Louis Bernard Barrault (; 8 September 1910 – 22 January 1994) was a French actor, director and mime artist who worked on both screen and stage. Biography Barrault was born in Le Vésinet in France in 1910. His father was 'a Burgundi ...

at the Odéon-Théâtre de France.''Dictionnaire du cinéma populaire français''; sous la direction de Christian-Marc Bosséno et Yannick Dehée. (Paris: Nouveau Monde, 2004). p. 243. His dramatic presence and measured diction made him well-suited to many classical roles.''Dictionnaire du cinéma français'': sous la direction de Jean-Loup Passek. (Paris: Larousse, 1987). p. 97. His first major role in the cinema was as one of the devil's envoys in Marcel Carné's film '' Les Visiteurs du soir'' (1942). A few other romantic leading parts followed, but increasingly he appeared in supporting roles, especially in characterizations of intellectuals such as the tormented philosopher Steiner in '' La Dolce Vita'' (1960), directed by Federico Fellini. He worked frequently in Italian cinema and had close associations with

and Francesco Rosi as well as Fellini. One of his most admired film performances was in Rosi's '' Uomini contro'' (''Many Wars Ago'', 1970), as the rigidly authoritarian General Leone. Among his French films were '' The Lovers'' (''Les Amants'', 1958), directed by Louis Malle, and

's '' Détective'' (1985). He also appeared in the softcore porn film '' Emmanuelle'' (1974), a role which he said he took to show his contempt for the film business. In the same year, he played

Sitting Bull Sitting Bull ( ; December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota people, Lakota leader who led his people during years of resistance against Federal government of the United States, United States government policies. Sitting Bull was killed by Indian ...

in the absurdist western '' Touche pas à la femme blanche!'' (''Don't Touch the White Woman!'', 1974). Towards the end of his career he returned to aspects of Claudel. He appeared in '' Camille Claudel'' (1988), a biographical film about the author's sister in which he played their father, Louis-Prosper Claudel. In 1991, he completed a long-planned film adaptation of a Claudel play '' The Annunciation of Marie'' (''L'Annonce faite à Marie'', 1991), a French-Canadian production in which he both directed and acted; it won him the Prix Georges-Sadoul. He also gave regular readings of Claudel's work at the Festival d'Avignon.

Personal life

In 1962, he married Marie-Blanche Guidicelli. The couple divorced in 1969.

Death

Cuny died in 1994 in Paris. He is buried in Civry-la-Forêt, west of Paris, where he had lived.

Partial filmography

*1940: ''Après Mein Kampf mes crimes'' (directed by Alexandre Ryder) - Marinus van der Lubbe *1941: '' Madame Sans-Gêne'' (directed by Roger Richebé) - Roustan *1941: '' Remorques'' (''Stormy Waters'') (directed by Jean Grémillon) - Un matelot du 'Mirva' (uncredited) *1942: '' Les Visiteurs du soir'' (directed by Marcel Carné) - Gilles - un ménestrel *1943: '' Le Baron fantôme'' (''The Phantom Baron'') (directed by

Serge de Poligny Serge de Poligny (1903–1983) was a French screenwriter and film director. Career Serge de Poligny was born in Paris in 1903. He studied art at the Beaux-Arts de Paris, École des Beaux-Arts in the class of the painter Maurice Denis. In 1925 ...

) - Hervé *1946: '' Solita de Cordoue'' (directed by Willy Rozier) - Pierre Desluc *1951: '' Il Cristo proibito'' (''The Forbidden Christ'') (directed by Curzio Malaparte) - Antonio *1952: '' Camicie rosse'' (''Red Shirts'') (directed by

Goffredo Alessandrini Goffredo Alessandrini (20 November 1904 – 16 May 1978) was an Italian scriptwriter and film director. He also acted, edited, and produced some films. He practiced athletics (sport), athletics in his youth, and won a title of Italian Athletics ...

and Francesco Rosi) - Bueno *1952: ''Les Conquérants solitaires'' (directed by Claude Vermorel) - Pascal Giroud *1953: '' La signora senza camelie'' (''The Lady Without Camelias'') (directed by

) - Lodi *1953: ''Mina de Vanghel'' (directed by Maurice Barry and Maurice Clavel) - M. de Larçay *1953: ''

Notre-Dame de Paris Notre-Dame de Paris ( ; meaning "Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris"), often referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a Medieval architecture, medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the River Seine), in the 4th arrondissemen ...

'' (''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'') (directed by Jean Delannoy) - Claude Frollo *1958: '' Les Amants'' (''The Lovers'') (directed by Louis Malle) - Henri Tournier *1960: '' La dolce vita'' (directed by Federico Fellini) - Steiner *1961: ''Scano Boa'' (directed by Renato Dall'Ara) - Cavarzvan *1962: '' La Croix des vivants'' (''Cross of the Living'') (directed by Ivan Govar) - Baron VonEggerth *1963: '' Peau de banane'' (''Banana Peel'')) (directed by Marcel Ophüls) - Hervé Bontemps *1963: '' La corruzione'' (''Corruption'') (directed by Mauro Bolognini) - Leonardo Mattioli *1965: '' Astataïon, ou Le Festin des morts'' (''Mission of Fear'') (directed by Fernand Dansereau) - Jean de Bréboeuf *1969: '' La Voie lactée'' (''The Milky Way'') (directed by

) - L'homme à la cape / Man with cape *1969: ''

Satyricon The ''Satyricon'', ''Satyricon'' ''liber'' (''The Book of Satyrlike Adventures''), or ''Satyrica'', is a Latin work of fiction believed to have been written by Gaius Petronius in the late 1st century AD, though the manuscript tradition identifi ...

'' (directed by Federico Fellini) - Lica *1970: '' Uomini contro'' (''Many Wars Ago'') (directed by Francesco Rosi) - generale Leone *1971: ''La grande scrofa nera'' (directed by Filippo Ottoni) - Il Padre di Enrico *1971: ''Valparaiso, Valparaiso'' (directed by Filippo Ottoni)- Balthazar Lamarck-Caulaincourt *1972: '' L'udienza'' (directed by Marco Ferreri) - Padre gesuita *1972: ''Il maestro e Margherita'' (''The Master and Margaret'') (directed by Aleksandar Petrović) - Profesor Woland & Satana *1973: ''La rosa rossa'' (directed by Franco Giraldi) *1974: '' Touche pas à la femme blanche!'' (''Don't Touch the White Woman!'') (directed by Marco Ferreri) - Sitting Bull *1974: '' Emmanuelle'' (directed by Just Jaeckin) - Mario *1975: '' Two in the Amsterdam Rain'' (directed by Koreyoshi Kurahara) *1975: ''Irene, Irene'' (directed by

Peter Del Monte Peter Del Monte (29 July 1943 – 31 May 2021) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed fifteen films between 1969 and 2021. His 1982 film ''Invitation au voyage'' won the prize for the Best Artistic Contribution at the 1982 Ca ...

) - Guido Boeri *1976: '' Cadaveri eccellenti'' (''Illustrious Corpses'') (directed by Francesco Rosi) - Judge Rasto *1976: ''I prosseneti'' (directed by Brunello Rondi) - Il conte Davide *1977: ''Jacques Prévert'' (directed by Jean Desvilles) - Himself *1978: '' El recurso del método'' (''The Recourse to the Method'') (directed by Miguel Littín) - El Académico *1978: '' La Chanson de Roland'' (''The Song of Roland'') (directed by Frank Cassenti) - Turpin / Le moine *1979: '' Cristo si è fermato a Eboli'' (''Christ Stopped at Eboli'') (directed by Francesco Rosi) - Barone Nicola Rotunno *1979: ''Roberte'' (directed by Pierre Zucca) - pur esprit (voice) *1981: '' Les Jeux de la Comtesse Dolingen de Gratz'' (directed by Catherine Binet) *1982: '' Les Maîtres du temps'' (directed by René Laloux) - Xul (voice) *1983: '' Quartetto Basileus'' (''Basileus Quartet'') (directed by Fabio Carpi) - *1985: '' Détective'' (directed by

) - Old Mafioso *1987: '' Cronaca di una morte annunciata'' (''Chronicle of a Death Foretold'') (directed by Francesco Rosi) - Widower *1987: ''Lucky Ravi'' (directed by Vincent Lombard) - Plantation Owner *1987: '' Das weite Land'' (''The Distant Land'') (directed by Luc Bondy) - Aigner - le père d'Otto *1988: '' Umi e, See You'' (directed by Koreyoshi Kurahara) - Don Macine *1988: '' Camille Claudel'' (directed by Bruno Nuytten) - Louis-Prosper Claudel *1989: ''La Nuit de l'éclusier'' (directed by Franz Rickenbach) - Gutberg *1990: ''Les Chevaliers de la Table ronde'' (directed by Denis Llorca) - Merlin *1991: ''Uova di garofano'' (directed by Silvano Agosti) - Crimen *1991: '' L'Annonce faite à Marie'' (''The Annunciation of Marie'') (directed by Alain Cuny) - Anne Vercors *1992: '' Le Retour de Casanova'' (''The Return of Casanova'') (directed by Édouard Niermans) - Marquis

References

External links

* * *
Alain Cuny
at Film Reference. Retrieved 22 January 2016. René Xavier Marie Alain Cuny was born in

in Paris. He met Picasso, Braque and members of the surrealist group."Alain Cuny"
Ciné-Ressources; retrieved 22 January 2016. He then began working in the film industry as a costume, poster and set designer and was employed on films of Cavalcanti, Feyder and Renoir. After a meeting with the actor-manager Charles Dullin, Cuny was persuaded to study drama and he began acting on stage in the late 1930s.Ephraim Katz. ''The International Film Encyclopedia''. London: Macmillan, 1980. p. 292., {{DEFAULTSORT:Cuny, Alain 1908 births 1994 deaths French male film actors French male stage actors People from Saint-Malo Actors from Brittany 20th-century French male actors