Clément Duhour was born in
Saint-Jean d’Anglet, in the
Aquitaine
Aquitaine (, ; ; ; ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Aguiéne''), archaic Guyenne or Guienne (), is a historical region of southwestern France and a former Regions of France, administrative region. Since 1 January 2016 it has been part of the administ ...
region of south-western
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
on 11 December 1912.
He died on 3 January 1983 in
Neuilly-sur-Seine
Neuilly-sur-Seine (; 'Neuilly-on-Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is an urban Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department just west of Paris in France. Immediately adjacent to the city, north of the ...
. He was a French athlete, singer, actor, film director and producer.
Biography
A French
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
, Clément Duhour was the son of a baker. He was also the younger brother of
Édouard Duhour.
[Édouard Duhour]
sports-reference.com At age 16, he won his first French national championships in both the
shot put
The shot put is a track-and-field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical Ball (sports), ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. For men, the sport has been a part of the Olympic Games, modern Olympics since their 1896 Summer Olym ...
and
discus. Almost simultaneously, he was expelled from the public high school in
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 ...
for "indiscipline". Subsequently, his father sent him to Paris to become an apprentice salesman at the
Félix Potin grocery store. Three days later, he quit the apprenticeship to become an entertainer at the
Lapin Agile
Lapin Agile is a famous Montmartre cabaret, at 22 Rue des Saules, 18th arrondissement of Paris, France.
History
The venue existed circa 1860 under the name Au rendez-vous des voleurs, meaning "Where the Thieves Meet". Some twenty years la ...
club under the stage name Guy Lormont.
In 1932, he took part in the
Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles shot put competition, where he tossed well beyond the 45-foot mark without much training.
His brother, Édouard, was also a French shot putter, who competed in the event at the Olympics the previous year.
The following year, Clément was again crowned French national shot put champion.
During the
German occupation of France
The Military Administration in France (; ) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zone in areas of northern and western France. This so-called ' was established in June 19 ...
, Duhour opens his own
cabaret
Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...
, Le Cavalier, on the Rue de Ponthieu, in the
8th arrondissement of Paris
The 8th arrondissement of Paris (''VIIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, the arrondissement is colloquially referred to as ''le huitième'' ().
The ar ...
.
He also starts his movie career as "Boris Ivanovitch" in L'Âge d'or directed by
Jean de Limur
Jean de Limur (13 November 1887, Vouhé, Charente-Maritime – 5 June 1976, Paris) was a French film director, actor and screenwriter. His works include ''La Garçonne (1936 film), La Garçonne'' (1936) and ''The Letter (1929 film), The Letter' ...
. According to
Hans von Luck
Hans–Ulrich Freiherr von Luck und Witten (15 July 1911 – 1 August 1997), usually shortened to Hans von Luck, was a German officer in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. Von Luck served with the 7th Panzer Division and 21st Pa ...
, Duhour's cafe-inn was a cover for Resistance activities, thus hiding resisters behind a cloak of superficial compliance with the Germans.
In 1942, Duhour met
Viviane Romance and they married in 1943. Together they created the production company Izarra Films, "izarra" meaning "star" in
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
.
After the end of the Second World War, Clément Duhour becomes
Sacha Guitry
Alexandre-Pierre Georges "Sacha" Guitry (; 21 February 188524 July 1957) was a French stage actor, film actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright of the boulevard theatre (aesthetic), boulevard theatre. He was the son of a leading French ac ...
's regular producer and collaborator through his production company "CLM" (Courts et Longs Métrages), whose name is meant as a quasi-acronym of his first name, Clément ("Clem").
This association would prove fruitful in the 1950s with the production of a series of cinematographic masterpieces, like the cult classics
Three Make a Pair,
Lovers And Thieves or
If Paris Were Told To Us.
Clément Duhour also paid tribute to Sacha Guitry's memory after his death in 1957 by directing and producing
Life Together (La Vie à deux) in 1958.
He died "of natural causes" on January 3, 1983, in
Neuilly
Neuilly-sur-Seine (; 'Neuilly-on-Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is an urban commune in the Hauts-de-Seine department just west of Paris in France. Immediately adjacent to the city, north of the Bois de Boulogne, the area is composed of ...
. He was 71 years old.
Filmography
As actor
As director
Only as producer
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duhour, Clement
1912 births
1983 deaths
Athletes (track and field) at the 1932 Summer Olympics
French male film actors
French male discus throwers
French male shot putters
French film directors
Sportspeople from Pyrénées-Atlantiques
20th-century French male actors
Place of birth missing
20th-century French male singers
Olympic athletes for France
20th-century French sportsmen