Jean Desailly (24 August 1920 – 11 June 2008) was a French actor. He was a member of 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 ...

from 1942 to 1946, and later participated in about 90 movies.

Life and career

Desailly studied at the

École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in nor ...

and 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 ...

winning first prize, joining the Comédie-Française in 1942. In 1946 he became a leading member of the

Jean-Louis Barrault Jean-Louis Bernard Barrault (; 8 September 1910 – 22 January 1994) was a French actor, director and mime artist who worked on both screen and stage. Biography Barrault was born in Le Vésinet in France in 1910. His father was 'a Burgundi ...

Madeleine Renaud Lucie Madeleine Renaud (; 21 February 1900 – 23 September 1994) was a French actress best remembered for her work in the theatre. She did though appear in several films directed by Jean Grémillon including '' Remorques'' (''Stormy Waters'', 1 ...

company at the

Théâtre Marigny The Théâtre Marigny () is a theatre in Paris, situated near the junction of the Champs-Élysées and the Avenue Marigny in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, 8th arrondissement. It was originally built to designs of the architect Charles Garnie ...

, playing in a wide repertoire from ''

Les Fausses Confidences ''Les Fausses Confidences'' is a three-act comedy in prose by the French playwright Pierre de Marivaux, Pierre de Carlet de Chamberlain de Marivaux. It was first performed on the 16 March 1737 by the actors of the Comédie Italienne at the Hôtel ...

'', ''

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 ''

Le Songe d'une nuit d'été ''Le songe d'une nuit d'été'' (''A Midsummer Night's Dream'') is an opéra-comique in three acts composed by Ambroise Thomas to a French libretto by Joseph-Bernard Rosier and Adolphe de Leuven. Although it shares the French title for Shakespeare' ...

''. With the Renaud-Barrault at the Odéon-Théâtre de France he played both leading roles in '' le Mariage de Figaro'': Figaro on tour in the provinces and Count Almaviva in Paris. Desailly's second wife was the French actress Simone Valère, with whom he formed a theatre company which they directed successively at the

Théâtre Hébertot Théâtre Hébertot () is a theatre at 78, boulevard des Batignolles, in the 17th arrondissement of Paris, France. History The theatre was completed in 1838 and opened as the Théâtre des Batignolles. It was later renamed Théâtre des Arts ...

and the Théâtre de la Madeleine. A wide repertoire was played at the two theatres from 1972 to 2002.Don des archives de la Compagnie Valère-Desailly (ARchives of the company)
accessed 25 May 2015 In music he was the narrator on the 1965 recording of Stravinsky's ''

Oedipus rex ''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' (, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles. While some scholars have argued that the play was first performed , this is highly uncertain. Originally, to ...

'' conducted by

Karel Ančerl Karel Ančerl (11 April 1908 – 3 July 1973) was a Czechoslovak conductor and composer, renowned especially for his performances of contemporary music and for his interpretations of music by Czech composers. Ančerl was born into a pros ...

for Supraphon and on the 1971 recording of Honegger's ''

Le roi David ''Le Roi David'' was composed in Mézières, Switzerland, in 1921 by Arthur Honegger, as incidental music for a play in French by René Morax. It was called a dramatic psalm, but has also been performed as oratorio, without staging. The plot, ba ...

'' under

Charles Dutoit Charles Édouard Dutoit is a Swiss conductor. He is the principal guest conductor for the Saint Petersburg Philharmonia. In 2017, he became the 103rd recipient of the Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal Award. Dutoit held previous positions ...

for Erato (with Valère as the prophetess).

Partial filmography

*1943: '' Strange Inheritance'' - Gilles Mauvoisin *1945: '' Father Goriot'' - Bianchon *1945: '' The Last Judgment'' - Kyril *1946: '' Sylvie and the Ghost'' - Frédéric *1946: '' Pastoral Symphony'' - Jacques Martens - son fils *1946: '' Patrie'' (directed by

Louis Daquin Louis Daquin (20 May 1908 – 2 October 1980) was a French film director, screenwriter and actor. He directed 14 films between 1938 and 1963. He also appeared in 11 films between 1937 and 1979. Selected filmography * ''The Man from Nowhere ...

) - Karloo *1946: '' The Revenge of Roger'' - Raymond de Noirville *1947: '' Loves, Delights and Organs'' - Jean Pelletier dit 'Pivoine' *1947: '' Four Knaves'' - Jacques de la Bastide *1948: ''Une grande fille toute simple'' - Michel *1949: ''L'échafaud peut attendre'' - Michel Vincent *1949: '' Daybreak'' - Larzac *1949: '' The Widow and the Innocent'' - Claude Girelle *1949: ''

Keep an Eye on Amelia ''Keep an Eye on Amelia'' (French: ''Occupe-toi d'Amélie'') is a 1949 French-Italian comedy film directed by Claude Autant-Lara and starring Danielle Darrieux and Jean Desailly and Grégoire Aslan. It is based on the 1908 play of the same nam ...

'' ''(Occupe-toi d'Amélie)'' - Marcel Courbois *1950: ''

Chéri Cheri or Chéri may refer to: People Given name *Cheri (given name) * Cheri Ben-Iesau, American painter, muralist, author * Cheri Blauwet (born 1980), American wheelchair racer * Cheri Dennis (born 1979), American singer * Cheri DiNovo (born 1 ...

'' - Fred Peloux, dit 'Chéri' *1950: '' Véronique'' - Florestan *1951: ''

Tomorrow We Get Divorced ''Tomorrow We Get Divorced'' (French: ''Demain nous divorçons'') is a 1951 French comedy film directed by Louis Cuny and starring Sophie Desmarets, Jean Desailly and Armand Bernard.Barrot & Chirat p.195 The film's sets were designed by the art ...

'' - Max Blachet *1952: '' Jocelyn'' - Jocelyn *1954: ''

Royal Affairs in Versailles ''Royal Affairs in Versailles'' (French title: ''Si Versailles m'était conté'') is a 1954 French-Italian historical drama directed by Sacha Guitry. Described as "a historical film showing Versailles from its beginnings to the present day", it t ...

'' - Marivaux *1955: '' Les Grandes manoeuvres'' (directed by

René Clair René Clair (; 11 November 1898 – 15 March 1981), born René-Lucien Chomette (), was a French filmmaker and writer. He first established his reputation in the 1920s as a director of silent films in which comedy was often mingled with fantasy. H ...

) - Victor Duverger *1955: ''On ne badine pas avec l'amour'' - Perdican *1958: '' Maigret tend un piège'' - Marcel Maurin *1958: ''Les Grandes Familles'' (directed by

Denys de La Patellière Denys de La Patellière (8 March 1921 in Nantes, France – 21 July 2013) was a French film director and scriptwriter. He also directed Television series. He died in 2013 at the age of 92. Biography The son of an officer, Denys de La Patell ...

) - François Schoudler *1959: ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

'' ''(Sen noci svatojánské)'' (animation directed by

Jiří Trnka Jiří Trnka (; 24 February 1912 – 30 December 1969) was a Czechoslovak puppet-maker, illustrator, motion-picture animator and film director. In addition to his extensive career as an illustrator, especially of children's books, he is be ...

) - Narrator (French version) (voice) *1959: '' 125 Rue Montmartre'' - Commissaire Dodelot *1959: ''

Le secret du Chevalier d'Éon ''Le secret du Chevalier d'Éon'' is a 1959 French-Italian film. It stars Andrée Debar and Gabriele Ferzetti Gabriele Ferzetti (born Pasquale Ferzetti; 17 March 1925 – 2 December 2015) was an Italian actor with more than 160 credits acros ...

'' - Louis XV *1960: ''Préméditation'' - Le juge Lenoir *1960: '' The Baron of the Locks'' - Maurice Montbernon *1960: '' Le Saint mène la danse'' - Fred Pellmann *1960: ''

Love and the Frenchwoman ''Love and the Frenchwoman'' is the US title of a 1960 French anthology film originally entitled ''La française et l'amour''. It starred Jean-Paul Belmondo and Dany Robin. The movie was a big hit in France with admissions of 3,056,736.< ...

'' - Voice of the speaker (segment "Adolescence, L'") *1961: '' Un soir sur la plage'' - Dr. Francis *1961: '' La Mort de Belle'' (directed by Édouard Molinaro) - Stéphane Blanchon *1961: ''Legge di guerra'' - Rade *1961: ''

Famous Love Affairs ''Famous Love Affairs'' (, ) is a 1961 French-Italian anthology film starring Alain Delon, Brigitte Bardot and Jean Paul Belmondo. Cast ''Lauzun'' * Jean-Paul Belmondo as Lauzun * Dany Robin as Madame de Monaco * Philippe Noiret as King Lou ...

'' - Le baron de Jonchère (segment "Comédiennes, Les") *1962: '' The Seven Deadly Sins'' - Monsieur Duparc - le père de Bernard (segment "Luxure, La") *1962: ''

Le Doulos ''Le Doulos'' () is a 1962 French crime film written and directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, adapted from the novel of the same name by Pierre Lesou. It was released theatrically as ''The Finger Man'' in the English-speaking world, but all video a ...

'' (directed by

Jean-Pierre Melville Jean-Pierre Grumbach (20 October 1917 – 2 August 1973), known professionally as Jean-Pierre Melville (), was a French filmmaker. Considered a spiritual godfather of the French New Wave, he was one of the first fully-independent French filmmake ...

) - Le commissaire Clain *1964: '' Graduation Year'' - M. Terrenoire *1964: '' The Soft Skin'' ''(La Peau douce)'' (directed by

François Truffaut François Roland Truffaut ( , ; ; 6 February 1932 – 21 October 1984) was a French filmmaker, actor, and critic. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the French New Wave. He came under the tutelage of film critic Andre Bazin as a ...

) (nominated for the

Golden Palm The (; ) is the highest prize awarded to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festiv ...

at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

in 1964; received the ''

Bodil Award for Best European Film The Bodil Award for Best Non-English Language Film is one of the categories for the Bodil Awards presented annually by the Danish Union of Film Critics (Danish: Filmedarbejderforeningen). It was created in 1948 and is one of the oldest film prizes i ...

'' in 1965) - Pierre Lachenay *1965: '' The Two Orphans'' - Le comte de Linières *1966: '' De Dans van de Reiger'' - Edouard *1967: ''

The 25th Hour ''The 25th Hour'' is the 2001 debut novel by David Benioff. A film adaptation, for which Benioff wrote the screenplay, was directed by Spike Lee and released in 2002. Background The idea for the book came when Benioff returned home to New Yor ...

'' - Cabinet Minister *1967: ''Le Franciscain de Bourges'' - Monsieur Toledano *1967: ''La Vie parisienne'' (directed by

Yves-André Hubert Yves-André Hubert (Paris, 7 August 1927 - Le Pecq, 14 June 2021) is a French television film director, theatre '' metteur en scène''and actor. He received a Sept d'or award in 1988 for '' L'Affaire Marie Besnard''. Filmography * 1961 : ''Yo ...

) (television version of 1958 stage production by

) - Raoul de GardefeuYon, Jean-Claude. ''Jacques Offenbach.'' Éditions Gallimard, Paris, 2000, p663. *1970: ''L'ardoise'' - Le commissaire Clair *1971: ''Comptes à rebours'' - Michel St Rose *1972: ''

The Assassination of Trotsky ''The Assassination of Trotsky'' is a 1972 historical thriller film directed by Joseph Losey. It dramatizes the killing of exiled Soviet revolutionary Leon Trotsky by NKVD agent Frank Jacson in Mexico City in 1940. It stars Richard Burton as T ...

'' - Alfred Rosmer *1972: ''

Un flic ''Un flic'' ('A Cop'), also known as ''Dirty Money'', is a 1972 crime thriller film, the last directed by Jean-Pierre Melville before his death the following year. It stars Alain Delon, Richard Crenna and Catherine Deneuve. Delon had previously ...

'' - L'homme distingué *1972-1973: ''

Les Rois maudits ''The Accursed Kings'' ( ) is a series of seven historical novels by French author Maurice Druon about the French monarchy in the 14th century. Published between 1955 and 1977, the series has been adapted as a miniseries twice for television in ...

'' (TV Mini-Series) - Récitant / Narrator *1973: '' The Inheritor'' - Jean-Pierre Carnavan *1973: ''

Night Flight from Moscow ''Night Flight from Moscow'' (), also known as ''The Serpent'', is a 1973 Cold War spy thriller film produced, co-written and directed by Henri Verneuil and starring Yul Brynner, Henry Fonda, Dirk Bogarde, Philippe Noiret and Michel Bouquet. Th ...

'' - Narrator (voice, uncredited) *1974: ' - M. Desvrières *1979: ''Le cavaleur'' - Charles-Edmond *1979: ''Jeu de la barbichette'' - Le directeur de la Police Judiciaire *1979: ''Le mouton noir'' - De Brugères *1980: ''Pile ou face'' - Bourgon-Massenet *1981: ''

Le Professionnel ''The Professional'' (original title: ''Le Professionnel''; ) is a 1981 French action Thriller film, thriller film directed by Georges Lautner. The film stars Jean-Paul Belmondo as the title role. The film is based on award-winning 1976 novel ' ...

'' (won the '' Golden Screen Award'', 1983)"Golden Screen, Germany"
(Retrieved on June 17, 2008) - Le ministre *1984: ''Le fou du roi'' - Louis XIV *1990: ''Équipe de nuit'' - Le père *1990: '' Le Radeau de la Méduse'' - Tullaye *1999: ''La dilettante'' - Edmond Thibault *2000: ''En face'' - (voice) (final film role)

Awards and nominations

*1960: Nominated for the

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 1960, for his role in '' Maigret tend un piège''. *2002: Awarded the ''Molière acting prize''.“French actor Desailly, famed on stage and screen, dies”
MSNBC, 12. Juni 2008 (Retrieved on June 17, 2008)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Desailly, Jean 1920 births 2008 deaths Male actors from Paris Troupe of the Comédie-Française French male stage actors French male film actors French male television actors 20th-century French male actors