Michel Simon (; 9 April 1895 – 30 May 1975) was a Swiss actor of German origin active primarily in France. Michel Simon
in the

Historical Dictionary of Switzerland The ''Historical Dictionary of Switzerland'' (Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse; DHS) is an encyclopedia on the history of Switzerland. It aims to present the history of Switzerland in the form of an encyclopaedia, published both on paper a ...

. He appeared in many notable French films, including '' La Chienne'' (1931), '' Boudu Saved from Drowning'' (1932), '' L'Atalante'' (1934), '' Port of Shadows'' (1938), '' The Head'' (1959), and '' The Train'' (1964).

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...

said he was ‘the greatest actor in the world’.

Early years

Simon was born on 9 April 1895 in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

to Joseph Simon, a pork butcher from Villingen (Baden), and Véronique Burnat. He left his family and moved to Paris, where he first lived at the Hotel Renaissance, Saint-Martin Street, then in

Montmartre Montmartre ( , , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement of Paris, 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Rive Droite, Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for its a ...

. He worked many different jobs to survive, such as giving boxing lessons and peddling smuggled lighters. His career began modestly in 1912, working as a magician,

clown A clown is a person who performs physical comedy and arts in an Improvisational theatre#Comedy, open-ended fashion, typically while wearing distinct cosmetics, makeup or costume, costuming and reversing social norm, folkway-norms. The art of ...

, acrobat, and stooge in a dancers' show called "Ribert's and Simon's", in the Montreuil-sous-Bois Casino. Conscripted into the Swiss Army in 1914, he spent time in the stockade. He also contracted

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

. In 1915, while on leave, he saw Georges Pitoëff's early work in the French language, at the Theatre de la Comédie of Geneva, acting in '' Hedda Gabler'', and was inspired to become an actor himself. In 1920 he made his first brief appearance on stage, with Pitoëff's company, speaking three lines in Shakespeare's ''

Measure for Measure ''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604. It was published in the First Folio of 1623. The play centers on the despotic and puritan Angelo (Measure for ...

''. He also worked at this time as the company's photographer. One of his early successes was a supporting role in

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...

's '' Androcles and the Lion''. In 1922, Pitoëff's company moved to Paris at the Comédie des Champs-Élysées. Simon quit the company in 1923 to become a light comedy actor in plays by Tristan Bernard, Marcel Achard and Yves Mirande. Achard presented him to Charles Dullin, in whose company he acted in ''Je ne vous aime pas'' with Valentine Tessier.

Theatrical success and his transition to film

Louis Jouvet, who had replaced Pitoëff, hired Simon at the Comédie des Champs-Élysées. Simon then gave a successful performance in Archard's ''Jean de la Lune'' as Cloclo. In the 1930s, Simon's theatrical career rose to prominence with performances in works by

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

, Bernard Shaw, Pirandello,

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

, Bourdet, and Henri Bernstein. However, it was film that brought him stardom and international recognition. Simon's first film appearance was in the 1925 silent film, '' Feu Mathias Pascal'', adapted from a Pirandello novel and directed by

Marcel L'Herbier Marcel L'Herbier (; 23 April 1888 – 26 November 1979) was a French filmmaker who achieved prominence as an avant-garde theorist and imaginative practitioner with a series of silent films in the 1920s. His career as a director continued unti ...

. In the same year, he starred in the modestly budgeted ''The Vocation of André Carel'', directed by Jean Choux. As the silent era ended, he appeared in

Carl Theodor Dreyer Carl Theodor Dreyer (; 3 February 1889 – 20 March 1968), commonly known as Carl Th. Dreyer, was a Danish film director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers in history, his movies are noted for emotional austerity ...

's '' The Passion of Joan of Arc'' (1928). Simon's film career was boosted with the advent of talking pictures. People remarked that his elocution and gravelly voice were as original as his appearance. These features were exploited by notable 1930s French directors, including

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 ...

(''La Chienne'', ''Boudu Saved From Drowning''), Jean Vigo (''L'Atalante'') and Marcel Carné (''Port of Shadows'', ''Bizarre, Bizarre''). He appeared in 55 plays from 1920 to 1965, and 101 from 1965 to 1975. In the 1950s, Simon reined in his activities following an accident involving a makeup dye that left part of his face and body paralyzed. In 1967, he won the

Silver Bear for Best Actor The Silver Bear for Best Actor () was an award presented at the Berlin International Film Festival from 1956 to 2020. It was given to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance and was chosen by the International Jury from the films i ...

at the 17th Berlin International Film Festival for his role in '' The Two of Us''. He died at 80 years of age from a pulmonary embolism and is buried in the Grand-Lancy Cemetery of

, next to his parents.

Eccentricities

Simon would say that he preferred "living with animals than humans". He lived for a long time in a bohemian house in Noisy-le-Grand, near Paris. He built a series of exterior wire tunnels that linked the various floors and allowed his pet monkeys freedom to roam around. The house was filled with bric-a-brac, including his large collection of erotic photographs and films. The collection was dispersed after his death.

Selected filmography

* ''La galerie des monstres'' (1924) * '' The Vocation of André Carel'' (1925), Gaston Lebeau * '' Feu Mathias Pascal'' (1926, directed by

), Jérôme Pomino * ''L'inconnue des six jours'' (1926), Le valet de chambre * '' The Loves of Casanova'' (1927), Sbire * '' The Passion of Joan of Arc'' (1928, directed by

), Jean Lemaître * ''Tire au flanc'' (1928), Joseph Turlot * ''Pivoine'' (1929) * ''L'enfant de l'amour'' (1930), Lorédan * ''Jean de la Lune'' (1931), Clothaire dit Clo-Clo * '' On purge bébé'' (1931, directed by

), Chouilloux * '' La Chienne'' (1931, directed by

), Maurice Legrand * '' Baleydier'' (1932), Baleydier * '' Boudu Saved from Drowning'' (1932, directed by

), Priape Boudu * '' High and Low'' (1933, directed by G. W. Pabst), Maximilian Podeletz * ''Léopold le bien-aimé'' (1934), M. Ponce * '' Miquette'' (1934), Monchablon * '' Lake of Ladies'' (1934), Oscar Lyssenhop * '' L'Atalante'' (1934, directed by Jean Vigo), Old Jules * '' Le Bonheur'' (1934, directed by

), Noël Malpiaz * '' The Squadron's Baby'' (1935), Perrot-Joly * '' Adémaï in the Middle Ages'' (1935), Lord Pickwickdam * '' Lovers and Thieves'' (1935), Doizeau * '' Under Western Eyes'' (1936), Lespara * ''

Moutonnet ''Moutonnet'' is a 1936 French comedy film directed by René Sti and starring Noël-Noël, Lucien Rozenberg and Michel Simon.Crisp p.408 Cast * Noël-Noël as Moutonnet et Mérac * Lucien Rozenberg as Dumonthal * Michel Simon as Frècheville ...

'' (1936), Frècheville * '' The Brighton Twins'' (1936), Labrosse * '' Girls of Paris'' (1936), Baron de Beaupoil and his brother * '' Death on the Run'' (1936), Achille Baluchet * '' Let's Make a Dream'' (1936), Un invité (prologue) * ''Le choc en retour'' (1937), Laverdac * '' Boulot the Aviator'' (1937), Baron Gobèche * '' The Silent Battle'' (1937), Sauvin * '' Bizarre, Bizarre'' (1937, directed by Marcel Carné), Irwin Molyneux * '' The Kiss of Fire'' (1937), Michel * '' Mirages'' (1938), Michel * '' Boys' School'' (1938, directed by

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 ...

), Lemel * '' Port of Shadows'' (1939, directed by Marcel Carné), Zabel * '' The New Rich'' (1938), Martinet * '' Beautiful Star'' (1938), Léon * '' The Gutter'' (1938), Le comte Edouard de Bourgogne * '' Mother Love'' (1938), Michel Quercy * ''Le règne de l'esprit malin'' (1938), Luc * ''Noix de coco'' (1939), Josserand * '' Deputy Eusèbe'' (1939), Eusèbe Bonbonneau * '' Behind the Facade'' (1939), Picking * ''

The End of the Day ''The End of the Day'' () is a 1939 French drama film directed by Julien Duvivier and starring Victor Francen, Michel Simon, Madeleine Ozeray and Louis Jouvet. It was shot at the Epinay Studios in Paris and on location around the city as wel ...

'' (1939), Cabrisssade * '' The Last Turning'' (1939, based on the novel '' The Postman Always Rings Twice''), Nick Marino * '' Fric-Frac'' (1939, directed by Claude Autant-Lara &

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), Jo * ''

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'' (1939), M. Gaetan Le Sentencier, 'La Sentence' * '' Love Cavalcade'' (1939),

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, Monseigneur de Beaupré, and Lacouret * '' Musicians of the Sky'' (1940), Captain Simon * '' Paris-New York'' (1940), Commissioner Boucheron * '' La Comédie du bonheur'' (1940, directed by

), François Jourdain/Giambattista Giordano (Italian version, ''Ecco la felicità'') * ''

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'' (1941, directed by Carl Koch), Baron Scarpia * '' The King's Jester'' (1941), Rigoletto * '' Girl of the Golden West'' (1942), Butler / Carras * '' Shop Girls of Paris'' (1943), Baudu * '' Vautrin'' (1943), Jacques Collin dit Vautrin * '' A Friend Will Come Tonight'' (1946), Michel Lemaret * '' Panic (Panique)'' (1946, directed by

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), Monsieur Hire * '' The Crowned Fish Tavern'' (1947), Capitaine Palmer * '' Not Guilty'' (1947), Le docteur Michel Ancelin * '' The Lovers of Pont Saint Jean'' (1947), Alcide Garonne * ''La carcasse et le tord-cou'' (1948), Joseph Ferdinand Anselme Midot, dit 'Le tord-cou' * '' Fabiola'' (1949), Senator Fabius Severus * '' Beauty and the Devil'' (1950, directed by

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), Mephistopheles / Old Professor Henri Faust * ''

Poison A poison is any chemical substance that is harmful or lethal to living organisms. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figurati ...

'' (1951, directed by

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), Paul-Louis Victor Braconnier * '' Monsieur Taxi'' (1952), Pierre Verger (Monsieur Taxi) * ''

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'' (1952), Le commissaire Jules Maigret ("Le témoignage d'un enfant de choeur" segment) * '' The Secret of the Mountain Lake'' (1952), Bürgermeister (French version) * '' The Girl with the Whip'' (1952), Le tuteur d'Angelina * '' The Temptress'' (1952), Cidoni * '' Crimson Curtain'' (1952), Bertal / Banquo * '' The Road to Damascus'' (1952), Caïphe * '' The Merchant of Venice'' (1953), Shylock * '' The Virtuous Scoundrel'' (1953), Albert and Alain Ménard-Lacoste * ''

Women of Paris A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functional uter ...

'' (1953), Professor Charles Buisson * '' Saadia'' (1953), Bou Rezza * '' L'Étrange Désir de monsieur Bard'' (1954), Auguste Bard * '' A Slice of Life'' (1954), Padre Silvio (segment "Casa d'altri") * '' Hungarian Rhapsody'' (1954), General von Sayn-Wittgenstein * '' At the Order of the Czar'' (1954), Prince de Sayn-Wittgenstein * '' The Impossible Mr. Pipelet'' (1955, directed by

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), Maurice Martin * '' Memories of a Cop'' (1956), Le commissaire principal Henri Dominique * ''La joyeuse prison'' (1956), Benoit - le surveillant-chef * '' Three Make a Pair'' (1957), Commissaire Bernard * '' A Certain Monsieur Jo'' (1958), Joseph 'Jo' Guardini * '' It Happened in Broad Daylight'' (1959, directed by Ladislao Vajda), Jacquier * '' The Head'' (1959, directed by Victor Trivas), Professor Abel * '' Austerlitz'' (1960), Alboise * ' (1960, directed by François Villiers), Pierrot * '' Candide ou l'optimisme au XXe siècle'' (1960, an adaptation of

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...

's ''

Candide ( , ) is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled ''Candide: or, All for the Best'' (1759); ''Candide: or, The ...

''), Colonel Nanar * ' (1961) directed by Denys de la Patelliére), Charles-Edmond Larmentiel * ''

The Devil and the Ten Commandments ''Le Diable et les Dix Commandements'' () is a French film from 1962 directed by Julien Duvivier that consists of seven sketches (eight in the versions shown in Germany and Japan) played by an ensemble cast that includes Michel Simon, Micheline ...

'' (1962, directed by

), Jérôme Chambard ("Dieu en vain ne jureras" and "Les Dimanches tu garderas" segments) * ''

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'' (1962) * '' The Train'' (1964, directed by John Frankenheimer), Papa Boule * '' Cyrano and d'Artagnan'' (1964), Duc de Mauvières * ''Deux heures à tuer'' (1966), L'employé de la consigne * '' The Two of Us'' (1967, directed by Claude Berri), Pépé Dupont * ''The Marriage Came Tumbling Down'' (1968), Le vieux Jéricho * ''Contestazione generale'' (1970), Cavazza * ''La maison'' (1970), Louis Compiegne * ''Blanche'' (1971, directed by

Walerian Borowczyk Walerian Borowczyk (21 October 1923 – 3 February 2006) was a Polish film director described by film critics as a "genius who also happened to be a pornographer". He directed 40 films between 1946 and 1988. Borowczyk settled in Paris in 1959. A ...

), Le châtelain * '' The Most Wonderful Evening of My Life'' (1972, directed by

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), Attorney Zorn * ''Le boucher, la star et l'orpheline'' (1975), L'érotologue * ' (1975, directed by Jean-Pierre Mocky)

References

External links

* * *
Michel Simon
at Films de France
Geneva tourism website about his life
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Michel 1895 births 1975 deaths Swiss male film actors Swiss male silent film actors French male stage actors French male film actors French male silent film actors Male actors from Geneva 20th-century French male actors Silver Bear for Best Actor winners 20th-century Swiss military personnel