Jacques Sereys (2 June 1928 – 1 January 2023) was a French actor and theatre director.

Biography

Raised by a single mother who worked as an embroiderer, Sereys grew up in

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

. He began to make money at the age of 14 while working for

Crédit Lyonnais The Crédit Lyonnais (, "Lyon Credit ompany) was a major French bank, created in 1863 and absorbed by former rival Crédit Agricole in 2003. Its head office was initially in Lyon but moved to Paris in 1882. In the early years of the 20th cen ...

. In 1951, he was admitted to the

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 ...

and attended classes taught by Henri Rollan. He joined the

Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...

in 1955, first as an associate before becoming a sociétaire in 1959. In 1964, Sereys left the Comédie-Française to devote himself to boulevard theatre, a period in which he met the likes of

Jacques Charon Jacques Charon (27 February 1920 – 15 October 1975) was a French actor and film director. Born in Paris, Charon trained at the Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique (CNSAD) and made his début at the Comédie-Française in 1941. Du ...

and Robert Hirsch. However, he returned to the Comédie-Française in 1977 and regained his membership in 1979. He retired in 1997 and became a ''de facto'' honorary sociétaire. He regularly continued to perform at the Comédie-Française until 2014.

Personal life and death

Sereys married actress Philippine Pascal, the stage name of

Philippine de Rothschild Philippine Mathilde Camille, Baroness de Rothschild (22 November 1933 – 23 August 2014) was the owner of the French winery Château Mouton Rothschild. She acted under the stage name Philippine Pascal (imprinting on her paternal grandfather Henr ...

, with whom he had two children: Camille (born 1961) and Philippe (born 1963). The couple divorced on 25 October 1999. Their children became the owners of

Château Mouton Rothschild Château Mouton Rothschild is a wine estate located in the village of Pauillac in the Médoc region, 50 km (30 mi) north-west of the city of Bordeaux, France. Originally known as ''Château Brane-Mouton'', its red wine was renamed by N ...

Château d'Armailhac Château d'Armailhac (), previously named Château Mouton-d'Armailhacq (historical name from inception, 1750–1955), Château Mouton-Baron Philippe, Mouton Baronne and Château Mouton-Baronne-Philippe (1979–1988), is a winery in the Pauillac ...

, and Château Clerc Milon. Sereys died on 1 January 2023, at the age of 94.

Filmography

*' (1956) *' (1962) *''

The Fire Within ''The Fire Within'' (, ; "The Manic Fire" or "Will-O'-the-Wisp") is a 1963 drama film written and directed by Louis Malle. It is based on the 1931 novel ''Will O' the Wisp'' by Pierre Drieu La Rochelle, which was inspired by the life of poet ...

'' (1963) *'' La Chamade'' (1968) *''

A Season in Hell ''A Season in Hell'' () is an extended poem in prose written and published in 1873 by French writer Arthur Rimbaud. It is the only work that was published by Rimbaud himself. The book had a considerable influence on later artists and poets, ...

'' (1971) *''

Murmur of the Heart ''Murmur of the Heart'' () is a 1971 French comedy-drama film written, produced and directed by Louis Malle. It stars Lea Massari, Benoît Ferreux and Daniel Gélin. Written as Malle's semi-autobiography, the film tells a coming-of-age story abo ...

'' (1971) *''

Le Gang ''Le Gang'' () is a 1977 French-Italian neo-noir crime film directed by Jacques Deray and starring Alain Delon, Xavier Depraz, Roland Bertin, Adalberto Maria Merli, Maurice Barrier and Raymond Bussières. It recorded admissions of 1,190,355 in ...

'' (1977) *''

The Savage State ''The Savage State'' (or L'état sauvage) is a French drama film directed by Francis Girod. Plot In 1960, Minister of Information of a progressive African state still under French colonial rule, the doctor Patrice Doumbe also fighting against the ...

'' (1977) *'' A Simple Story'' (1978) *''

I as in Icarus ''I as in Icarus'' () is a 1979 French thriller film directed by Henri Verneuil. The title refers to Icarus, a Greek mythological figure. Selected cast *Yves Montand as Henri Volney * Michel Etcheverry as Frédéric Heiniger * Roger Planchon as ...

'' (1979) *' (1980) *''

Le Bon Plaisir ''Le Bon Plaisir'' is a 1984 French film directed by Francis Girod. The film relates the story of the efforts of a President of the French Republic (Jean-Louis Trintignant) informed, after a number of years, of the existence of a son born from a ...

'' (1984) *' (1984) *' (1986) *' (1988) *' (1990) *''

L'Opération Corned-Beef ''L'Opération Corned Beef'' is a French film directed by Jean-Marie Poiré. It was filmed during the summer of 1990 and released on 6 February 1991. It was the fifth collaboration between screenwriters Jean-Marie Poiré and Christian Clavier. Th ...

'' (1991) *''

The Horseman on the Roof ''The Horseman on the Roof'' () is a 1995 French film directed by Jean-Paul Rappeneau and starring Juliette Binoche and Olivier Martinez. Based on the 1951 French novel '' Le hussard sur le toit'' by Jean Giono, the film follows the adventures ...

'' (1995) *'' Kings for a Day'' (1997) *'' On Guard'' (1997) *'' Chouchou'' (2003) *''

Towards Zero ''Towards Zero'' is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie, first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in June 1944 and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in July of the same year. The first US edition of the novel retailed a ...

'' (2007) *''

Disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

'' (2008)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sereys, Jacques 1928 births 2023 deaths 20th-century French male actors 21st-century French male actors French theatre directors French National Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni Sociétaires of the Comédie-Française Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres People from Saint-Maurice, Val-de-Marne Male actors from Île-de-France