Jules Auguste Muraire (18 December 1883 – 20 September 1946), whose

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

was Raimu, was a French actor. He is most famous for playing César in the 'Marseilles trilogy' ('' Marius'', ''

Fanny Fanny may refer to: Given name * Fanny (name), a feminine given name or a nickname, often for Frances In slang * A term for the vulva, in Britain and many other parts of the English-speaking world * A term for the buttocks, in the United States ...

'' and '' César'').

Life and career

Born in

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label=Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is the ...

in the Var department, Muraire made his stage debut there in 1899. After coming to the attention of the great music hall star Félix Mayol who was also from Toulon, in 1908 he was given a chance to work as a secondary act in the Paris theatre scene. He worked primarily in comedy. In 1916, writer/director

Sacha Guitry Alexandre-Pierre Georges "Sacha" Guitry (; 21 February 188524 July 1957) was a French stage actor, film actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright of the boulevard theatre. He was the son of a leading French actor, Lucien Guitry, and follo ...

gave him significant parts in productions at the

Folies Bergère The Folies Bergère () is a cabaret music hall, located in Paris, France. Located at 32 Rue Richer in the 9th Arrondissement, the Folies Bergère was built as an opera house by the architect Plumeret. It opened on 2 May 1869 as the Folies Trév ...

and other major venues. In addition to his appearances on stage, Raimu also developed a successful career in films, sometimes under the name ''Jules Raimu''. He starred in the premiere of

André Messager André Charles Prosper Messager (; 30 December 1853 – 24 February 1929) was a French composer, organist, pianist and conductor. His compositions include eight ballets and thirty opéras comiques, opérettes and other stage works, among whi ...

's operetta '' Coups de roulis'' in 1928. The following year, already a leading actor, he gained wide acclaim for his starring role in the stage production of the

Marcel Pagnol Marcel Paul Pagnol (; 28 February 1895 – 18 April 1974) was a French novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. Regarded as an auteur, in 1946, he became the first filmmaker elected to the Académie française. Although his work is less fashionable ...

play ''Marius''. Reluctantly, owing to his disappointment with his first film role many years earlier, he agreed to act in Guitry's film ''Le Blanc et le Noir'' and then reprised his '' Marius'' role on film a year later. By his late forties Raimu had become one of his country's most respected actors, and was considered the ultimate actor by

Alec Guinness Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. After an early career on the stage, Guinness was featured in several of the Ealing comedies, including '' Kind Hearts and Coronets'' (1 ...

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

, and

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

Family

He married Esther Metayer (1905-1977) in 1936. He had a daughter, Paulette Brun (1925-1992).

Death

Raimu died of a heart attack on 20 September 1946, brought on by complications with anesthesia after a relatively minor leg operation, in the

American Hospital of Paris The American Hospital of Paris (''Hôpital américain de Paris''), founded in 1906, is a private, not-for-profit hospital that is certified under the French healthcare system. Located in Neuilly-sur-Seine, in the western suburbs of Paris, France, ...

Neuilly-sur-Seine Neuilly-sur-Seine (; literally 'Neuilly on Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is a commune in the department of Hauts-de-Seine in France, just west of Paris. Immediately adjacent to the city, the area is composed of mostly select residentia ...

, while he was asleep.

Legacy

He was interred in the cemetery of Toulon, where the Cinéma Raimu Toulon has been named in his honor. In 1961, the government of France honored him with his image on a postage stamp. A small museum created by his granddaughter Isabelle Nohain exists in the town of Cogolin in the Var department in France.

Partial filmography

*''

Black and White Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

'' (1931) - Marcel Desnoyers *'' Marius'' (1931) - César Olivier *'' Mam'zelle Nitouche'' (1931) - Célestin / Floridor *'' The Chocolate Girl'' (1932) - Félicien Bédarride *'' Fun in the Barracks'' (1932) - Le capitaine Hurluret *''

'' (1932) - César *''Théodore et Cie'' (1933) - Clodomir *''

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Em ...

'' (1933) - Charlemagne *''Ces messieurs de la Santé'' (1934) - Gédéon Tafard *''Minuit... place Pigalle'' (1934) - Monsieur Prosper *''Tartarin de Tarascon'' (1934) - Tartarin *''J'ai une idée'' (1934) - Aubrey *'' School for Coquettes'' (1935) - Labaume *''Gaspard de Besse'' (1935) - Samplan *''

The Secret of Polichinelle The Secret of Polichinelle may refer to: * ''The Secret of Polichinelle'' (play), a 1903 comedy play by Pierre Wolff * ''The Secret of Polichinelle'' (1923 film), a 1923 French silent comedy film * ''The Secret of Polichinelle'' (1936 film), ...

'' (1936) - M. Jouvenel *'' The Brighton Twins'' (1936) - Alfred Beaugérard et les deux fils Achille *'' The King'' (1936) - M. Bourdier - un riche industriel et sénateur qui reçoit le Roi *'' César'' (1936) - César Ollivier *'' Let's Make a Dream'' (1936) - Le mari *''Vous n'avez rien à déclarer?'' (1937) - Jules Papillot *''

The Pearls of the Crown ''The Pearls of the Crown'' (french: Les Perles de la couronne) is a 1937 French comedy film of historically based fiction by Sacha Guitry who plays four roles in it (many of the other performers play multiple roles, as well). Guitry's Jean Mart ...

'' (1937) - L'industriel du midi * '' Chaste Susanne'' (1937) - Monsieur des Aubrays *'' Life Dances On'' (1937) - Francois Patusset *''

Gribouille Marie-France Gaîté (born 17 July 1941 in Lyon, France – died 18 January 1968), better known as Gribouille was a singer, musician, and songwriter. __NOTOC__ As a teenager, she suffered from a mental disorder, and for a time was confined ag ...

'' (1937) - Camille Morestan *''

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 desig ...

'' (1937) - Jules de l'Estaque *''Le fauteuil 47'' (1937) - Juste Auguste Theillard *'' The Strange Monsieur Victor'' (1938) - Victor Agardanne *''Les nouveaux riches'' (1938) - Legendre *''

The Baker's Wife ''The Baker's Wife'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and the book by Joseph Stein, based on the 1938 French film of the same name by Marcel Pagnol and Jean Giono. The musical premiered in the West End in 1989 for a short ...

'' (1938) - Aimable Castanier *''Heroes of the Marne'' (1938) - Bernard Lefrançois *'' Cocoanut'' (1939) - Loulou Barbentane *'' Monsieur Brotonneau'' (1939) - M. Brotonneau *''Ultima giovinezza'' (1939) - Cesare *''Second Childhood'' (1939) - Georges *'' The Man Who Seeks the Truth'' (1940) - Jean Vernet *'' La Fille du puisatier'' (1940) - Pascal Amoretti *''Le duel'' (1941) - le Père Bolène *'' Parade en sept nuits'' (1941) - Le curé Maffre - curé des Baux *'' Les Inconnus dans la maison'' (1942) - Maître Hector Loursat *'' L'Arlésienne'' (1942) - Marc *''Monsieur La Souris'' (1942) - Monsieur La Souris *'' The Benefactor'' (1942) - Monsieur Moulinet *''Les petits riens'' (1942) - Charpillon *''

Untel père et fils ''The Heart of a Nation'' (french: Untel père et fils) is a 1943 French drama film directed by Julien Duvivier who co-wrote screenplay with Marcel Achard and Charles Spaak. The film stars Raimu, Michèle Morgan and Louis Jouvet. Plot The film f ...

'' (1943) - L'oncle Jules Froment *'' Le Colonel Chabert'' (1943) - Le colonel Hyacinthe Chabert *''Les gueux au paradis'' (1946) - Boule *''L'Homme au chapeau rond'' (1946) - Nicolas Trousotsky (final film role) *'' Chantons sous l'Occupation'' (1976) - (archive footage)

External links

*
Raimu Museum
{{Use dmy dates, date=October 2016 1883 births 1946 deaths 20th-century French male actors Actors from Toulon French male stage actors French male film actors French male silent film actors Sociétaires of the Comédie-Française César Honorary Award recipients