Claude Pierre Edmond Giraud (; 5 February 1936 in
Chamalières – 3 November 2020 in
Saint-Priest-des-Champs) was a French actor.
Career
Claude Giraud studied with
Tania Balachova at the
Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier
The Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier is a theatre located at 21, rue du Vieux-Colombier, in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. It was founded in 1913 by the theatre producer and playwright Jacques Copeau. Today it is one of the three theatres in Paris ...
;
Berthe Bovy and
Jean Meyer at the École de la rue Blanche (
École nationale supérieure des arts et techniques du théâtre, ENSATT). In November 1957 he was accepted as a student at CNSAD
Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique
The Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique (; "National Academy of Dramatic Arts"; abbr. CNSAD) is France's national drama academy, located in Paris and a constituent college of University PSL.
It is a higher education institution r ...
, where he studied with
Jean Debucourt and
Fernand Ledoux. Upon his graduation he was the first male student to win all three categories during the Concourse (Classical Comedy, Modern Comedy, Tragedy). In 1962 he was the first recipient of the newly created Prix Gérard Philipe. He was engaged at the
Comédie Française in 1962 as a pensionnaire. Besides his debut role as Valère in Molière's
The Miser
''The Miser'' (; ) is a five-act comedy in prose by the French playwright Molière. It was first performed on September 9, 1668, in the Théâtre du Palais-Royal (rue Saint-Honoré), theatre of the Palais-Royal in Paris.
This is a character com ...
, he played Arsace in Corneille's
Bérénice
''Berenice'' () is a five-act tragedy by the French 17th-century playwright Jean Racine. ''Berenice'' was not played often between the 17th and the 20th centuries.
It was premiered on 21 November 1670 by the Comédiens du Roi at the Hôtel de ...
, and the narrator in the stage adaptation of
André Gide
André Paul Guillaume Gide (; 22 November 1869 – 19 February 1951) was a French writer and author whose writings spanned a wide variety of styles and topics. He was awarded the 1947 Nobel Prize in Literature. Gide's career ranged from his begi ...
's short story
Le retour de l'enfant prodigue (The Return of the Prodigal Son). Disappointed that he was only cast in small roles, he left the Comédie Française after a few months to start his film career. He played the leading role as Capitaine Langlois in
François Leterrier's movie adaptation of
Jean Giono
Jean Giono (30 March 1895 – 8 October 1970) was a French writer who wrote works of fiction mostly set in the Provence region of France.
First period
Jean Giono was born to a family of modest means, his father a cobbler of Piedmontese descent a ...
's novel''
A King Without Distraction
''A King Without Distraction'' () is a 1963 French mystery film directed by François Leterrier, starring Claude Giraud and Colette Renard. The story is set in the winter of 1843 and follows a police captain who investigates the disappearance of ...
'' in 1962. He was Oedipus in the film adaptation of
Jean Cocteau
Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau ( , ; ; 5 July 1889 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, film director, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost avant-garde artists of the 20th-c ...
's
The Infernal Machine.
He joined the
Compagnie Marie Bell to play a US tour in New York City, Boston, Washington D.C., and Princeton in October–November 1963. For his presentation of Hippolite in
Phèdre
''Phèdre'' (; originally ''Phèdre et Hippolyte'') is a French dramatic tragedy in five acts written in alexandrine verse by Jean Racine, first performed in 1677 at the theatre of the Hôtel de Bourgogne in Paris.
Composition and premiere
With ...
and Titus in
Bérénice
''Berenice'' () is a five-act tragedy by the French 17th-century playwright Jean Racine. ''Berenice'' was not played often between the 17th and the 20th centuries.
It was premiered on 21 November 1670 by the Comédiens du Roi at the Hôtel de ...
at The
Brooks Atkinson Theatre on Broadway, he was awarded the
Theater World Award.
He played the role of the soldier Georges in
Roger Vadim
Roger Vadim Plemiannikov (; 26 January 1928 – 11 February 2000) was a French screenwriter, film director, and producer, as well as an author, artist, and occasional actor. His best-known works are visually lavish films with erotic qualities, s ...
's ''
Circle of Love'', a film adaptation of
Arthur Schnitzler
Arthur Schnitzler (15 May 1862 – 21 October 1931) was an Austrian author and dramatist. He is considered one of the most significant representatives of Viennese Modernism. Schnitzler’s works, which include psychological dramas and narratives ...
's scandalous play
La Ronde (play).
Between 1964 and 1966, Claude Giraud played the part of Philippe de Plessis-Bellières beside
Michèle Mercier
Michèle Mercier (born 1 January 1939 as Jocelyne Yvonne Renée Mercier) is a French actress. in three Angélique films: ''
Angélique, Marquise des Anges'', ''
Marvelous Angelique'', and ''
Angelique and the King''.
He returned to the
Comédie Française in 1972 and became the 460th sociétaire in 1976. He left again in 1982 to join
Jean-Laurent Cochet's newly created
Théâtre Hébertot.
Giraud gained fame in TV series as hero Morgan/Jacques de Saint-Hermine in the adventure series ''Les Compagnons de Jéhu'' by
Michel Drach adapted from the eponymous novel by
Alexandre Dumas
Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright.
His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...
.
Bernard Toublanc-Michel
Bernard Toublanc-Michel (6 December 1927 – 22 September 2023) was a French film director and screenwriter. His 1964 film '' La pasta linguine'' was entered into the 14th Berlin International Film Festival. Toublanc-Michel died on 22 September ...
engaged him in 1967 for the role of d'Aulnay in ''Adolphe ou l'âge tendre''. The TV series ''Les rois maudits'', where he played the role of Sir Roger Mortimer, was another huge success. In 1973, he played the fictional Arab revolutionary leader Mohamed Larbi Slimane, who poses as Rabbi Zeiligman in ''
The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob'' with
Louis de Funès. In the TV movie ''
Mamie Rose'' (1976) he played
Claude Jade's husband Régis, whose marriage is saved by an au-pair granny played by
Gisèle Casadesus
Gisèle Casadesus (14 June 1914 – 24 September 2017) was a French actress, who appeared in numerous theatre and film productions. She was an honorary member of the Sociétaires of the Comédie-Française, Grand Officer of the Legion of H ...
.
Other TV series include ''
Mathias Sandorf'' (1979), in which he played corrupt banker Silas Toronthal, based on
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet and playwright.
His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...
's eponymous novel.
Personal life and death
Giraud married Catherine Marquand (1943-2012),
a fellow acting student at the Conservatoire, in 1963. They had a son, Louis (*1963), and a daughter, Marianne (*1966), who is also an actress and married to French actor and director
Jean Martinez.
Since 1987, he lived in Vernadel near
Saint-Priest-des-Champs in
Auvergne
Auvergne (; ; or ) is a cultural region in central France.
As of 2016 Auvergne is no longer an administrative division of France. It is generally regarded as conterminous with the land area of the historical Province of Auvergne, which was dis ...
, where he owned a
Connemara
Connemara ( ; ) is a region on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture and contains much of the Connacht Irish-speaking Gaeltacht, ...
stud farm, Haras du Boissis.
Claude Giraud died age 84 on 3 November 2020 in Saint-Priest-des-Champs and was buried there on 7 November 2020.
Theater
Filmography
TV films and series
* 1963:
La Machine infernale by
Jean Cocteau
Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau ( , ; ; 5 July 1889 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, film director, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost avant-garde artists of the 20th-c ...
, directed by
Claude Loursais: Å’dipe
*
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...
: ''
Le Commandant Watrin'', adapted from the eponymous novel by
Armand Lanoux, directed by
Jacques Rutman: François Soubeyrac
* 1965:
Cinna by
Pierre Corneille
Pierre Corneille (; ; 6 June 1606 – 1 October 1684) was a French tragedian. He is generally considered one of the three great 17th-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine.
As a young man, he earned the valuable patronage ...
, directed by
Jean Kerchbron: Cinna
*
1966
Events January
* January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko.
* January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
: ''
Les Compagnons de Jéhu'', adapted from the eponymous novel by
Alexandre Dumas
Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright.
His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...
, directed by
Michel Drach : Morgan (Jacques de Saint-Hermine)
*
1967
Events January
* January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair.
* January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...
: ''
Sébastien parmi les hommes'' (
Belle, Sebastian and the Horses (TV Mini-series) by
Cécile Aubry: Pierre Maréchal
*
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...
: ''
Tartuffe
''Tartuffe, or The Impostor, or The Hypocrite'' (; , ), first performed in 1664, is a theatrical comedy (or more specifically, a farce) by Molière. The characters of Tartuffe, Elmire, and Orgon are considered among the greatest classical theat ...
'' by
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...
, directed by
Marcel Cravenne: Cléante
*
1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
: ''
Les Rois maudits'' by
Claude Barma : Lord Roger Mortimer (2 episodes, 1973: Le lis et le lion; La louve de France)
*
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...
: ''
Madame Bovary
''Madame Bovary: Provincial Manners'' (; ), commonly known as simply ''Madame Bovary'', is the début novel by France, French writer Gustave Flaubert, originally published in 1856 and 1857. The eponymous character, Emma Bovary, lives beyond he ...
'' by
Pierre Cardinal : Rodolphe Boulanger
*
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
: ''
Mamie Rose'' (TV film) by
Pierre Goutas : Régis
*
1976
Events January
* January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 18 – Full diplomatic ...
: ''
Milady'' after the eponymous novel by
Paul Morand
Paul Morand (13 March 1888 – 24 July 1976) was a French author whose short stories and novellas were lauded for their style, wit and descriptive power. His most productive literary period was the interwar period of the 1920s and 1930s. He was m ...
, directed by
François Leterrier: Grumbach
*
1977
Events January
* January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...
: ''
Le Loup blanc'' after the eponymous novel by
Paul Féval, directed by
Jean-Pierre Decourt: Hervé de Vaunoy
*
1977
Events January
* January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...
: ''
Richelieu, le cardinal de velours'' by
Jean-Pierre Decourt: La Valette (4 episodes)
*
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
: ''
Mathias Sandorf'' by
Jean-Pierre Decourt: Silas Toronthal
*
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
: ''
La Trilogie de la villégiature'' by
Carlo Goldoni
Carlo Osvaldo Goldoni (, also , ; 25 February 1707 – 6 February 1793) was an Italian playwright and librettist from the Republic of Venice. His works include some of Italy's most famous and best-loved plays. Audiences have admired the plays ...
, directed by
Giorgio Strehler
Giorgio Strehler (; ; 14 August 1921 – 25 December 1997) was an Italian stage director, theatre practitioner, actor, and politician. Strehler was one of the most significant figures in Italian theatre during his lifetime, described by Mel Gu ...
: Leonardo
*
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...
: ''
Les Fiancées de l'Empire'' by
Jacques Doniol-Valcroze
Jacques Doniol-Valcroze (; 15 March 1920 – 6 October 1989) was a French actor, critic, screenwriter, and director. In 1951, Doniol-Valcroze was a co-founder of the renowned film magazine '' Cahiers du cinéma'', along with André Bazin and Jo ...
: Maxime d'Aurillac
*
1982
Events
January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...
: ''Venise en hiver'' by Jacques Doniol-Valcroze: André Merrest
*
1983
1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...
: ''
L'Homme de la nuit'' by
Juan Luis Buñuel
Juan Luis Buñuel (9 November 1934 – 6 December 2017) was a French film and television director, screenwriter, and actor. His films include ''Expulsion of the Devil'' (''Au rendez-vous de la mort joyeuse'', 1973) and ''La Femme aux bottes ...
: Franck
*
1986: ''
À nous les beaux dimanches'' by
Robert Mazoyer: Charles-Edgar Moreau
*
1988: ''
Les Cinq Dernières Minutes'', by
Gilles Combet, 1 episode (Un modèle de genre): Paul
*
1992
1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General.
* January 6
** The Republ ...
: ''
La Cavalière (TV film in 2 parts) by Philippe Monnier (part 2): William Gordon-Thomas
*
1993
The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as:
* International Year for the World's Indigenous People
The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
: ''
Des héros ordinaires'' by
Yvan Butler (1 episode, Les Saigneurs): Plessis
*
1994
The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations.
In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
: ''
Les Cordier, juge et flic'' (Une mort programmée): Ackmann
*
2000
2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year.
Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
: ''
Julie Lescaut'' (Soupçon d'euthanasie): Danteille
*
2000
2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year.
Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
: ''
Une femme d'honneur'' by
Philippe Monnier: Michel Durieux
*
2005
2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
: ''
Le Fantôme du lac'' by
Philippe Niang: Victor Lanzi
Recordings (selected)
1965, La Compagnie Marie Bell, Phèdre (Racine)
References
External links
Base La Grangesur le site de la Comédie-Française
* ''Les Gens du cinéma''
* ''Les Archives du spectacle''
* Media collection at the Bibliothèque nationale de Franc
Claude Giraud*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Giraud, Claude
1936 births
2020 deaths
People from Chamalières
Male actors from Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
French male stage actors
French male film actors