Bernard Blier (; 11 January 1916 – 29 March 1989) was a French
character actor
A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...
.
Life and career

Blier was born in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
, Argentina, where his father, a researcher at the
Pasteur Institute
The Pasteur Institute (, ) is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases, and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, who invented pasteurization and vaccines for anthrax and rabies. Th ...
, was posted at the time.
His rotund features and premature baldness allowed him to often play cuckolded husbands in his early career. He is notable for being one of France's most versatile and sought-after character actors, performing interchangeably in comedies and dramas. His complete filmography includes 175 titles. He often appeared in Italian films too, particularly in the last decade of his life. He was awarded an
Honorary César
The César Award is France's national film award. Recipients are selected by the members of the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma
An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of ...
(the French
Oscar
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People and fictional and mythical characters
* Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar
* Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...
) in 1989, 24 days before he died.
Personal life
Blier was born in Buenos Aires, the son of Suzanne (Bargy) and Louis Blier.
He is the father of director
Bertrand Blier. He has appeared in a number of his son's films, most notably ''
Buffet froid'' (1979).
Filmography
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blier, Bernard
1916 births
1989 deaths
Argentine emigrants to France
David di Donatello winners
César Honorary Award recipients
French male film actors
French male television actors
French male stage actors
Male actors from Buenos Aires
20th-century French male actors