Jules Berry (; born Marie Louis Jules Paufichet; 9 February 1883 – 23 April 1951) was a French actor.

Biography

Early life

Berry and his two brothers were born to parents who sold hardware and settled in

Poitou Poitou ( , , ; ; Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe. Geography The main historical cities are Poitiers (historical ...

. The family moved to Paris in 1888. Berry completed his studies at the

Lycée Louis-le-Grand The Lycée Louis-le-Grand (), also referred to simply as Louis-le-Grand or by its acronym LLG, is a public Lycée (French secondary school, also known as sixth form college) located on Rue Saint-Jacques (Paris), rue Saint-Jacques in central Par ...

and then graduated from

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 ...

Career

It was during his studies that Berry developed an interest in the theater. Following an audition, he was hired by the Théâtre Antoine-Simone Berriau to act in ''La Mort du duc d'Enghien'' by Léon Hennique, and ''Le Perroquet vert'' by

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 ...

. Later he performed at the Théâtre de l'Ambigu-Comique and the

Théâtre de l'Athénée The Théâtre de l'Athénée () is a theatre at 7 rue Boudreau, in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Renovated in 1996 and classified a historical monument, the Athénée inherits an artistic tradition marked by the figure of Louis Jouvet who di ...

. During a tour in

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

, he was noticed by Jean-François Ponson, who hired him for a period of 12 years at the Théâtre royal des Galeries Saint-Hubert in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

. Audiences in Brussels gave him a warm welcome, where he played in productions such as Le Mariage de mademoiselle Beulemans. Berry subsequently performed in 30 successful plays for Marcel Achard, Alfred Savoir, Louis Verneuil, and Roger Ferdinand. One of Berry's first movie roles was the silent film ''Oliver Cromwell'' (1911) directed by Henri Desfontaines. His first appearance in a talking picture was ''Mon coeur et ses millions'' (1931) with Suzy Prim. Over the course of his career, Berry acted in 89 motion pictures. Bombastic, extravagant, and whimsical, Berry was as flamboyant as any entertainer of the period, including

Pierre Brasseur Pierre Brasseur (; 22 December 1905 – 16 August 1972), born Pierre-Albert Espinasse, was a French actor. Biography The son of actors Georges Espinasse and Germaine Brasseur was an actor as well. The family tradition of using the name ''Br ...

. Berry is often considered one of the greatest actors in the history of French cinema. Among Berry's best films are: '' The Crime of Monsieur Lange'' by

Jean Renoir Jean Renoir (; 15 September 1894 – 12 February 1979) was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. His '' La Grande Illusion'' (1937) and '' The Rules of the Game'' (1939) are often cited by critics as among the greate ...

, '' Les Visiteurs du Soir'' by

Marcel Carné Marcel Albert Carné (; 18 August 1906 – 31 October 1996) was a French film director. A key figure in the poetic realism movement, Carné's best known films include ''Port of Shadows'' (1938), ''Le Jour Se Lève'' (1939), ''Les Visiteurs du Soi ...

, '' Le Jour Se Lève'' by Marcel Carné, '' Strange Inheritance'' 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 ...

, ''Baccara'' by Yves Mirande, ''27 Rue de la Paix'' by

Richard Pottier Richard Pottier (6 June 1906, in Graz – 2 November 1994, in Le Plessis-Bouchard) was a film director in France. He was born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire as Ernst Deutsch. Selected filmography * ''If I Were Boss (1934 film), If I Were Boss'' ( ...

and ''L'Habit vert'' by Roger Richebé. Berry ended his film career in 1951 to interpret the texts of

Jacques Prévert Jacques Prévert (; 4 February 1900 – 11 April 1977) was a French poet and screenwriter. His poems became and remain popular in the French-speaking world, particularly in schools. His best-regarded films formed part of the Poetic realism, poetic ...

Personal life

Berry was romantically involved with actresses Jane Marken, Suzy Prim, and Josseline Gaël. He and Gaël had a daughter named Michelle in 1939. A compulsive gambler, Berry frequented casinos and horse races. In April 1951, Berry was admitted to the Hôpital Broussais, where he died of a heart attack caused by treatment for rheumatism. He is buried in the

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (, , formerly , ) is the largest cemetery in Paris, France, at . With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Buried at Père Lachaise are many famous figures in the ...

(division 80).

Selected filmography

* L'argent (1928) * '' King of the Hotel'' (1932) * '' Arlette and Her Fathers'' (1934) * '' The Crime of Monsieur Lange'' * '' 27 Rue de la Paix'' (1936) * '' Monsieur Personne'' (1936) * '' A Hen on a Wall'' (1936) * '' Wolves Between Them'' (1936) * '' Death on the Run'' (1936) * '' The Green Jacket'' (1937) * '' A Picnic on the Grass'' (1937) * '' The Club of Aristocrats'' (1937) * ''

The Kings of Sport ''The Kings of Sport'' (French: ''Les rois du sport'') is a 1937 French comedy film directed by Pierre Colombier and starring Raimu, Fernandel and Jules Berry.Rège p.243 It was made at the Billancourt Studios in Paris. The film's sets were de ...

'' (1937) * ''

Balthazar Balthazar, Balthasar, Baltasar, or Baltazar may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Balthazar (novel), ''Balthazar'' (novel), by Lawrence Durrell, 1958 * ''Balthasar'', an 1889 book by Anatole France * ''Professor Balthazar'', a Croatian a ...

'' (1937) * '' A Man to Kill'' (1937) * ''

White Cargo ''White Cargo'' is a 1942 American drama film starring Hedy Lamarr and Walter Pidgeon, and directed by Richard Thorpe. Released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it is based on the 1923 London and Broadway hit play by Leon Gordon (playwright), Leon Gord ...

'' (1937) * '' The Two Schemers'' (1938) * '' Final Accord'' (1938) * '' Hercule'' (

Alexander Esway Alexander Esway (20 January 1895 – 23 August 1947) was a Hungarian-born film director, screenwriter, and producer. Life and career Esway was born Sándor Ezry in Budapest. In the late 1920s and early 1930s he worked as a director and screenwri ...

1938 Events January * January 1 – state-owned enterprise, State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France (SNCF) and the Netherlands (Nederlandse Spoorwegen – NS). * January 20 – King Farouk of Egypt marries Saf ...

) * '' Café de Paris'' (1938) * '' Crossroads'' (1938) * '' The Woman Thief'' (1938) * ''

Clodoche ''Clodoche'' is a 1938 French comedy film directed by Raymond Lamy and Claude Orval and starring Pierre Larquey, Denise Bosc, Jules Berry and Florelle.Crisp p.412 The film's sets were designed by the art director Roland Quignon. Cast * Pier ...

'' (1938) * ''

The West West is a cardinal direction or compass point. West or The West may also refer to: Geography and locations Global context * The Western world * Western culture and Western civilization in general * The Western Bloc, countries allied with NAT ...

'' (1938) * '' The Woman of Monte Carlo'' (1938) * '' Le jour se lève'' (

1939 This year also marks the start of the World War II, Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Events related to World War II have a "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Coming into effect in Nazi Ger ...

) * '' Behind the Facade'' (1939) * '' Case of Conscience'' (1939) * '' Deputy Eusèbe'' (1939) * '' The Duraton Family'' (1939) * '' His Uncle from Normandy'' (1939) * '' The Mondesir Heir'' (1940) * '' Facing Destiny'' (1940) * '' Paris-New York'' (1940) * '' The Devil's Envoys'' (''Les Visiteurs du Soir'',

1942 The Uppsala Conflict Data Program project estimates this to be the deadliest year in human history in terms of conflict deaths, placing the death toll at 4.62 million. However, the Correlates of War estimates that the prior year, 1941, was th ...

) * '' The Murderer is Afraid at Night'' (1942) * '' Return to Happiness'' (1942) * '' Room 13'' (1942) * '' Sad Loves'' (1943) * '' Marie-Martine'' (1943) * '' The White Truck'' (1943) * '' After the Storm'' (1943) * '' The Midnight Sun'' (1943) * '' Strange Inheritance'' (1943) * '' I'll Always Love You'' (1943) * '' Behold Beatrice'' (1944) * '' Death No Longer Awaits'' (1944) * '' Dorothy Looks for Love'' (1945) * '' The Murderer is Not Guilty'' (1946) * '' Messieurs Ludovic'' (1946) * '' Star Without Light'' (1946) * '' Monsieur Grégoire Escapes'' (1946) * '' The Crowned Fish Tavern'' (1947) * ''

Blonde Blond () or blonde (), also referred to as fair hair, is a human hair color characterized by low levels of eumelanin, the dark pigment. The resultant visible hue depends on various factors, but always has some yellowish color. The color can be ...

'' (1950) * '' Without Trumpet or Drum'' (1950)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Berry, Jules 1883 births 1951 deaths French male film actors French male silent film actors People from Poitiers Male actors from Nouvelle-Aquitaine 20th-century French male actors Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery