Michel Subor (, born Mischa Subotzki; 2 February 1935 – 17 January 2022) was a French actor who gained initial fame with the starring role in

Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French and Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as ...

's second feature, '' Le petit soldat'' (1960), but the French government banned it until 1963 because of its political content, touching on terrorism during the undeclared

Algerian War The Algerian War (also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence) ''; '' (and sometimes in Algeria as the ''War of 1 November'') was an armed conflict between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front (Algeri ...

. He acted in a couple of American films in the late 1960s including the role of Claude Jade's husband in

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

's ''

Topaz Topaz is a silicate mineral made of aluminium, aluminum and fluorine with the chemical formula aluminium, Alsilicon, Sioxygen, O(fluorine, F, hydroxide, OH). It is used as a gemstone in jewelry and other adornments. Common topaz in its natural ...

''. In 1999, he once again played Forestier in ''

Beau Travail ''Beau Travail'' (, French for "good work") is a 1999 French film directed by Claire Denis, who co-wrote the screenplay alongside Jean-Pol Fargeau, an adaptation of the novella ''Billy Budd'' by Herman Melville. The story is set in Djibouti, wh ...

'', a highly praised variation of ''

Billy Budd ''Billy Budd, Sailor (An Inside Narrative)'', also known as ''Billy Budd, Foretopman'', is a novella by American writer Herman Melville, left unfinished at his death in 1891. Acclaimed by critics as a masterpiece when a hastily transcribed vers ...

'', directed by

Claire Denis Claire Denis (; ; born 21 April 1946) is a French film director and screenwriter. Her feature film '' Beau Travail'' (1999) has been called one of the greatest films of the 1990s and of all time. Her work has dealt with themes of colonial and p ...

. He continued to work with her.

Early life and education

He was born as Mischa Subotzki in France in 1935, to anti-Bolshevik parents from the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

who had immigrated a few years earlier. His father was an engineer in Moscow, and his mother was born in

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

. Michel Subor has a sister who moved to the United States as an adult.

Career

His career started with small roles in '' Frou-Frou'' (1955) and '' Un drôle de dimanche'' (1958), followed by playing Roger Hanin's son in '' Mon pote le gitan'' (1959). His first leading role came by playing the lover of

Brigitte Bardot Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot ( ; ; born 28 September 1934), often referred to by her initials B.B., is a French former actress, singer, and model as well as an animal rights activist. Famous for portraying characters with Hedonism, hedonistic life ...

's character in '' La Bride sur le Cou'' (1961). The year before he had completed Subor's most important early role as Bruno Forestier, a French deserter in Geneva in

's '' Le Petit Soldat'' (1960), set against terrorist acts in France and Switzerland during the ''guerre sans nom'' of the

. The film starred Anna Karina in her debut. Due to its politically sensitive content, the French government banned its release until 1963, after the end of the war. A new print was released in 2012.Scott Foundas, "Beauty and Controversy in Godard’s 'Le Petit Soldat': One hundred thousand truths"
''The Village Voice'', 14 March 2013, accessed 22 June 2013 The critic Roger Ebert wrote that "Godard, in 1960, making a film about the Algerian War, was portraying the sort of intellectual and moral confusion that good men have when they confront senseless events."Roger Ebert, "'Le Petit Soldat'"
''Chicago Sun-Times'', 1 March 1960 (1969, according to references in the article), hosted at Roger Ebert.com, accessed 22 June 2013 In 2005 Jacques Mandelbaum described Subor in ''

Le Monde (; ) is a mass media in France, French daily afternoon list of newspapers in France, newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average print circulation, circulation of 480,000 copies per issue in 2022, including ...

'' as one of the greatest actors in French cinema, but said that his roles in the 1960s and 1970s were not "as favorable, ambiguous, fascinating as the Little Soldier.""Michel Subor, 'Little Soldier' for Godard, has never been able to resolve the mercenary"
(Michel Subor, Petit Soldat pour Godard, n'a jamais pu se resoudre au mercenariat), ''Le Monde'', 5 March 2005, Quote: "Il n'en est pas moins un des plus grands acteurs du cinéma français.", accessed 22 June 2013, in French Subor worked with the director Paul Gégauff, in ''The Reflux'' (1965), adapted from a novel by

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...

. But the producer had not acquired the rights and the film was left unfinished in 1965. Subor was also cast in American films, appearing in Clive Donner's comedy '' What's New Pussycat?'' (1965) as the lover Philippe. In 1968/69 he starred in

's ''

'' (1969), featured as the journalist François Picard, the husband of the character played by Claude Jade. Hitchcock changed Subor's role and let François Picard survive the assassination attempt from the novel, so he returns wounded ("I've been shot, just a little") into Claude Jade's arms. He appeared in Jean-Louis Bertucelli's '' The Imprecator'' (1977) and

Gérard Blain Gérard Blain (23 October 1930 – 17 December 2000) was a French actor and film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while gui ...

's ''The Rebel'' (1980), but felt he never made the transition to mainstream cinema. Blain used Subor again in '' Amen he'' (1999). That year's renewal of Subor's career included a role in

's ''

,'' as a Foreign Legion captain named Bruno Forestier. (Denis named his character after the role he played in the Godard film.) Denis' variation of ''

,'' set in

Djibouti Djibouti, officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the east. The country has an area ...

on the

Red Sea The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...

, received high praise.Amy Taubin, "Body Language/Claire Denis’s Band of Outsiders"
''The Village Voice,'' 28 March 2000, accessed 22 June 2013 The next year he was in '' Wild Innocence'' (2000) directed by Philippe Garrel. Subor has since worked with Denis on other films, including ''The Intruder'' (2005).Dennis Lim, "'Troubled in Paradise:' A metaphysical adventure tale, Claire Denis's latest is a masterwork of poetic elusiveness"
''The Village Voice'', 13 December 2005, accessed 22 June 2013 She said of him: "Michel Subor is not a celebrity in ''L'Intrus''; he is the intruder." ("Sur le plateau de L'Intrus, il a captivé tout le monde, mais personne n'a voulu percer son mystère. Michel Sobor n'est pas le personnage de L'Intrus, il est L'Intrus.") He also had a major role in her '' White Material'' in 2009, which was set in an unnamed country in Africa.

Personal life and death

Subor died in a traffic collision in Toulouse on 17 January 2022, at the age of 86.

Filmography

* '' Frou-Frou'' (1955) - Le jeune homme au restaurant * '' Un drole de dimanche'' (1958) - Un élève du cours (uncredited) * '' Mon pote le gitan'' (1959) - Bruno Pittuiti * '' La Bride sur le Cou'' (1961) - Alain Varnier * '' Vacances en enfer'' (1961) - André * '' Jules et Jim'' (1962) - Récitant / Narrator (voice) * '' Le Petit Soldat'' (1963) - Bruno Forestier * '' Les Saintes Nitouches'' (1963) - Gerard LeGall * '' La vie conjugale: Jean-Marc'' (1964) - Roger * '' La vie conjugale: Francoise'' (1964) - Roger * '' What's New Pussycat?'' (1965) - Philippe * '' La dame de pique'' (1965) - Herman * '' Le reflux'' (1965) * '' A nous deux Paris!'' (1966) - Patrick Cartier * ''Su nombre es Daphne'' (1966) * '' Hallucination Sadiques'' (1969) - L'inspecteur * ''

'' (1969) - Francois Picard * '' The Day of the Jackal'' (1973) - 2nd OAS Terrorist in car (uncredited) * '' Docteur Francoise Gailland'' (1976) - Régis Cabret * ''Un tueur, un flic, ainsi soit-il...'' (1977) - François Nicaud - dit 'le chimiste' * '' The Imprecator'' (1977) - Brignon * '' Les Egouts du paradis'' (1978) - Biki le Targuy * '' The Rebel'' (1980) - Beaufils * '' Stress'' (1984) - Le commissaire de police * '' Le quatrieme pouvoir'' (1985) - Xavier Mareche * ''

Secret Passage Secret passages, also commonly referred to as hidden passages or secret tunnels, are hidden routes used for stealthy travel, escape, or movement of people and goods. They are sometimes inside buildings leading to secret rooms. Others allow pe ...

'' (1985) - Enrique * '' La Revolution Francais'' (1989) - Vadier (segment "Années terribles, Les") * ''Braxton'' (1989) * ''

'' (1999) - Commander Bruno Forestier * '' Ainsi soit-il'' (2000) - Barroux * ''

Fidelity Fidelity is the quality of faithfulness or loyalty. Its original meaning regarded duty in a broader sense than the related concept of '' fealty''. Both derive from the Latin word , meaning "faithful or loyal". In the City of London financial m ...

'' (2000) - Rupert MacRoi * '' Wild Innocence'' (2001) ( Philippe Garrel) - Chas * '' Dear Hunter'' (2003) - Sam * '' The Intruder'' (2004) - Louis Trebor * '' White Material'' (2009) - Henri Vial, le propriétaire * '' L'hiver Dernier'' (2011) - Hélier * '' Bastards'' (2013) - Edouard Laporte

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Subor, Michel 1935 births 2022 deaths 20th-century French male actors 21st-century French male actors French male film actors French male television actors French people of Azerbaijani descent French people of Russian descent Male actors from Paris