Daniel Mendaille (27 November 1885 – 17 May 1963) was a French stage and film actor whose career spanned nearly sixty years.

Early life

Born Daniel Henri Élie Mendaille in

Tours Tours ( ; ) is the largest city in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabita ...

Indre-et-Loire Indre-et-Loire () is a department in west-central France named after the Indre River and Loire River. In 2019, it had a population of 610,079.Académie royale d'architecture The Académie Royale d'Architecture (; ) was a French learned society founded in 1671. It had a leading role in influencing architectural theory and education, not only in France, but throughout Europe and the Americas from the late 17th centur ...

Institut de France The ; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the . It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute manages approximately ...

in Paris. At age twenty, he abandoned his studies in architecture and enrolled in the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), or the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (; CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue Jean Ja ...

and studied acting under Paul Mounet. After graduating, he was engaged at the Théâtre des Variétés, Cirque d'Hiver, Théâtre Antoine and the l’Œuvre et de la Renaissance.

Film career

During the early 1900s, he began appearing in small roles in film. One of his first roles was in the 1909

Albert Capellani Albert Capellani (23 August 1874 – 26 September 1931) was a French film director and screenwriter of the silent film, silent era. He directed films between 1905 and 1922. One of his brothers was the actor-sculptor Paul Capellani, and anoth ...

-directed short ''La mort du duc d'Enghien en 1804'' (English release title: ''The Death of the Duc d'Enghien'') for the Société Cinématographique des Auteurs et Gens de Lettres (SCAGL), affiliated with Pathé-Frères Mendaille continued to work in theater and film throughout the 1910s and 1920s. Already a featured actor, he began performing in leading roles in such films as Léon Poirier's in ''Le coffret de jade'' (1921), Marcel Dumont's ''La proie'' (1921) and Robert Péguy's ''Le crime de Monique'' (1922). In 1923, he portrayed the Comte de Maupry in ''L'affaire du courrier de Lyon'' for

Gaumont Film Company Gaumont SA () is a French film and television production and distribution company headquartered in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. Founded by the engineer-turned-inventor Léon Gaumont (1864–1946) in 1895, it is the oldest extant film company in ...

and was also part of the cast of ''Surcouf'' (1924) and ''Jean Chouan'' (1925), both serials directed by Luitz-Morat. In 1927 he appeared in the epic silent French historical film '' Napoléon'' directed by

Abel Gance Abel Gance (; born Abel Eugène Alexandre Péréthon; 25 October 188910 November 1981) was a French film director, producer, writer and actor. A pioneer in the theory and practice of montage, he is best known for three major silent films: ''J'ac ...

and the following year in the

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 ...

silent docudrama '' Verdun: Visions of History'' opposite Albert Préjean, Suzanne Bianchetti, Berthe Jalabert and

Antonin Artaud Antoine Maria Joseph Paul Artaud (; ; 4September 18964March 1948), better known as Antonin Artaud, was a French artist who worked across a variety of media. He is best known for his writings, as well as his work in the theatre and cinema. Widely ...

. Daniel Mendaille had little difficulty transitioning to the sound era of films. Notable performances of the 1930s include the portrayal of a miner in Georg Wilhelm Pabst's ''La tragédie de la mine'' (1931), the French-language version of

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), better known as Fritz Lang (), was an Austrian-born film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety Obituari ...

's '' The Testament of Dr. Mabuse'' (1933), a diplomat in Alexis Granowsky's ''Moscow Nights'' opposite French actress

Annabella Annabella, Anabella, or Anabela is a feminine given name. Notable people with the name include: *Annabella of Scotland (c. 1433–1509), daughter of King James I *Annabella (actress) (1907–1996), stage name of French actress Suzanne Georgette C ...

(1934), as Gaston Roude in the first film adaptation of

Émile Zola Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola (, ; ; 2 April 184029 September 1902) was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of Naturalism (literature), naturalism, and an important contributor to ...

's '' L'Assommoir'' (1933) and as Micheletto, the chief henchman in Abel Gance's historical drama '' Lucrèce Borgia'' (1935). Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, Mendaille would often be relegated to supporting roles as a

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 ...

or in bit parts, with notable performances in such films as

Jacques Becker Jacques Becker (; 15 September 1906 – 21 February 1960) was a French film director and screenwriter. His films, made during the 1940s and 1950s, encompassed a wide variety of genres, and they were admired by some of the filmmakers who led th ...

's ''Casque d'Or'' (1952),

Max Ophüls Maximillian Oppenheimer ( , ; 6 May 1902 – 26 March 1957), known as Max Ophüls ( , , ) or simply Ophuls, was a German and French film director and screenwriter. He was known for his opulent and lyrical visual style, with heavy use of trac ...

' '' The Earrings of Madame de…'' (1953),

Christian-Jaque Christian-Jaque (byname of Christian Maudet; 4 September 1904 – 8 July 1994) was a French filmmaker. From 1954 to 1959, he was married to actress Martine Carol, who starred in several of his films, including ''Lucrèce Borgia'' (1953), ''M ...

's adaptation of

's '' Nana'' (1955) and Max Ophüls' '' Lola Montès'' (1955). Mendaille appeared in approximately 120 films.

Personal life

Daniel Mendaille was married to Spanish-born actress Leda Ginelly. Following Ginelly's death in April 1959, he retired from performing and lived a secluded life at the family residence in Couilly-Pont-aux-Dames, where he died in May 1963 at age 77.CinéArtistes.com
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Selected filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mendaille, Daniel 1885 births 1963 deaths French male stage actors French male film actors French male silent film actors Actors from Tours, France 20th-century French male actors