Advanced search
- TITLES
- NAMES
- COLLABORATIONS
Search filters
Enter full date
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
Only includes names with the selected topics
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
1-50 of 439
- André René Roussimoff was born in a small farming community in Grenoble, France to Boris and Marian Rouismoff. His parents and four siblings were all of normal size, but André suffered from acromegaly, a hormonal disorder that results when the pituitary gland produces excess growth hormone. As the Giant grew up (very quickly, as he reached the height of 6' 3" by the age of 12) he began to often disagree with his parents. He left home at 14 and obtained a job with a furniture-moving firm and began to play rugby. At 17 he was seen training at a gym by several professional wrestlers. Impressed by his size, they taught him some basic wrestling skills and built a friendship with him. Later, when one of the wrestlers was injured, André stepped in for him. He would wrestle for nearly thirty more years. By his early 20s André had wrestled in Algeria, South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, England, Scotland, and most of non-Communist Europe but had not found fame. In 1971 he came to North America under the name Jean Ferre and was mildly popular in Canada. Then he met a New York based booker by the name of Vincent J. McMahon (often incorrectly referred to as "Vince McMahon Sr") who renamed him "Andre the Giant," and billed him as 7' 4" (Andre was really closer to 7'). Soon Andre the Giant became a national sensation and was a much sought after wrestler. In addition he participated in television, movies, and commercials. With his wealth the Giant bought a ranch in Ellerbe, North Carolina where he would live during his rare time off and after he retired from wrestling in 1990. He died while in France after attending his father's funeral. André was cremated and his ashes were spread across his ranch. He is survived by his one daughter.
- Lina El Arabi was born on 11 August 1995 in Choisy-le-Roi, Val-de-Marne, France. She is an actress, known for A Wedding (2016), Besties (2021) and The Temple Woods Gang (2022).
- Actress
- Composer
- Music Department
Vanessa Paradis is a renowned French actress, model and singer born in 1972. She started her career as a model and singer before becoming a movie star. Her song "Joe Le Taxi" brought her success in 15 countries at the age of 14. Later, in 1990, she was awarded a 'César' (French equivalent of Oscar) for her debut movie White Wedding (1989). For the next 5 years, she concentrated on her musical career, she rejected Pedro Almodóvar and John Boorman. In 1995, she appeared in Élisa (1995), but decided to concentrate on her private life with Johnny Depp and their children. After several years, Vanessa continued her singing and acting career.- Actress
- Soundtrack
One of the brightest film stars to grace the screen was born Emilie Claudette Chauchoin on September 13, 1903, in Saint Mandé, France where her father owned a bakery at 57, rue de la République (now Avenue Général de Gaulle). The family moved to the United States when she was three. As Claudette grew up, she wanted nothing more than to play to Broadway audiences (in those days, any actress or actor worth their salt went for Broadway, not Hollywood). After her formal education ended, she enrolled in the Art Students League, where she paid for her dramatic training by working in a dress shop. She made her Broadway debut in 1923 in the stage production of "The Wild Wescotts". It was during this event that she adopted the name Claudette Colbert.
When the Great Depression shut down most of the theaters, Claudette decided to make a go of it in films. Her first film was called For the Love of Mike (1927). Unfortunately, it was a box-office disaster. She wasn't real keen on the film industry, but with an extreme scarcity in theatrical roles, she had no choice but to remain. In 1929 she starred as Joyce Roamer in The Lady Lies (1929). The film was a success and later that year she had another hit entitled The Hole in the Wall (1929). In 1930 she starred opposite Fredric March in Manslaughter (1930), which was a remake of the silent version of eight years earlier. A year after that Claudette was again paired in a film with March, Honor Among Lovers (1931). It fared well at the box-office, probably only because it was the kind of film that catered to women who enjoyed magazine fiction romantic stories. In 1932 Claudette played the evil Poppeia in Cecil B. DeMille's last great work, The Sign of the Cross (1932), and once again was cast with March. Later the same year she was paired with Jimmy Durante in The Phantom President (1932). By now Claudette's name symbolized good movies and she, along with March, pulled crowds into the theaters with the acclaimed Tonight Is Ours (1933).
The next year started a little on the slow side with the release of Four Frightened People (1934), where Claudette and her co-stars were at odds with the dreaded bubonic plague on board a ship. However, the next two films were real gems for this young actress. First up, Claudette was charming and radiant in Cecil B. DeMille's spectacular Cleopatra (1934). It wasn't one of DeMille's finest by any means, but it was a financial success and showcased Claudette as never before. However, it was as Ellie Andrews, in the now famous It Happened One Night (1934), that ensured she would be forever immortalized. Paired with Clark Gable, the madcap comedy was a mega-hit all across the country. It also resulted in Claudette being nominated for and winning the Oscar that year for Best Actress. IN 1935 she was nominated again for Private Worlds (1935), where she played Dr. Jane Everest, on the staff at a mental institution. The performance was exquisite. Films such as The Gilded Lily (1935), Drums Along the Mohawk (1939) and No Time for Love (1943) kept fans coming to the theaters and the movie moguls happy. Claudette was a sure drawing card for virtually any film she was in. In 1944 she starred as Anne Hilton in Since You Went Away (1944). Again, although she didn't win, Claudette picked up her third nomination for Best Actress.
By the late 1940s and early 1950s she was not only seen on the screen but the infant medium of television, where she appeared in a number of programs. However, her drawing power was fading somewhat as new stars replaced the older ones. In 1955 she filmed the western Texas Lady (1955) and wasn't seen on the screen again until Parrish (1961). It was her final silver screen performance. Her final appearance before the cameras was in a TV movie, The Two Mrs. Grenvilles (1987). She did, however, remain on the stage where she had returned in 1956, her first love. After a series of strokes, Claudette divided her time between New York and Barbados. On July 30, 1996, Claudette died in Speightstown, Barbados. She was 92.- Odile Vuillemin was born on 8 July 1976 in Châlons-en-Champagne, Marne, France. She is an actress, known for Profilage (2009), Eyewitness (2018) and À Tout de Suite (2004).
- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Laurent Lafitte was born on 22 August 1973 in Fresnes, Val-de-Marne, France. He is an actor and writer, known for Elle (2016), The Little Prince (2015) and Tell No One (2006).- Bruno Cremer went to Paris following high school. He always knew he was made to be an actor and his mother helped him. He was admitted to the Paris Conservatory. He rose to prominence in the theater playing in Shakespeare's "Pericles," Oscar Wilde's "An Ideal Husband" and Jean Anouilh's "Poor Bitos" and "Becket."
He has appeared in dozens of films, including The 317th Platoon, Is Paris Burning?, William Friedkin's Sorcerer and Bertrand Blier's Ménage. Cremer also appeared in over fifty television movies as the popular Commissaire Jules Maigret. In 2000, he wrote his memoirs in "Un certain jeune homme". - Evelyne Bouix was born on 22 April 1953 in Charenton-le-Pont, Val-de-Marne, France. She is an actress, known for Edith and Marcel (1983), Beaumarchais the Scoundrel (1996) and Les Misérables (1982). She has been married to Pierre Arditi since 31 May 2010. She was previously married to Claude Lelouch.
- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Philippe Lacheau was born on 25 June 1980 in Fontenay-sous-Bois, Val-de-Marne, France. He is an actor and writer, known for Babysitting (2014), Superwho? (2021) and City Hunter (2018).- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Franck Gastambide was born on 31 October 1978 in Melun, Seine-et-Marne, France. He is an actor and writer, known for Taxi 5 (2018), Validé (2020) and Pattaya (2016).- Brunette French actress of Russian or Polish ancestry. A former model, she got her big break in films courtesy of an affair with the notorious womanizing mogul Darryl F. Zanuck, who cast her as a member of the French Resistance in The Longest Day (1962). She played seven roles of diverse ethnicity in Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes (1965), but thereafter pretty much faded from the scene.
- Actor
- Producer
Frédéric Diefenthal was born on 26 July 1968 in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France. He is an actor and producer, known for Taxi 4 (2007), Taxi 3 (2003) and Taxi (1998). He was previously married to Gwendoline Hamon.- Actress
- Soundtrack
France's major sex siren of the early 50s, this lesser-remembered post-war French dish pre-dated bombshell Brigitte Bardot by a few years. Martine was born Marie-Louise (Maryse) Jeanne Nicholle Mourer on May 16, 1920, but little is known of her childhood. A chance meeting with comedian André Luguet steered her towards a career in the theatre. Trained by René Simon, she made her 1940 stage debut with "Phedre" billed as Maryse Arley.
In unbilled film parts from 1941, she subsequently caught the eye of Henri-Georges Clouzot who hired her for an upcoming film with the working title of "The Cat," based on the novel by Colette, but the project was scrapped. Nevertheless, she did attract attention in the movie La ferme aux loups (1943) (Wolf Farm), which takes advantage of her photogenic beauty and ease in front of the camera despite a limited acting ability.
A pin-up goddess and support actress throughout the 40s, Martine also appeared on the stage of the Theater of the Renaissance. A torrid affair with actor Georges Marchal, who was married to actress Dany Robin at the time, ended disastrously and she attempted suicide by taking an alcohol/drug overdose and throwing herself into the Seine River. She was saved by a taxi driver who accompanied her there. Ironically, the unhappy details surrounding her suicide attempt renewed the fascination audiences had with Martine up until that time. In 1949, she married her first husband, former American actor-turned-restaurateur Stephen Crane, who was once married to Lana Turner.
Continuing on with post-war French filming, she co-starred in such movies as Bifur 3 (1945), L'extravagante mission (1945), Trente et quarante (1946), Voyage surprise (1947), Sextette (1948), Je n'aime que toi... (1949), Une nuit de noces (1950), the title role in Dear Caroline (1951) and Adorable Creatures (1952). She scored her first box office blockbuster hit with the French Revolution epic Caroline Cherie (1953). Without a doubt, the success was prompted by her semi-nude scenes and taunting, kittenish sexuality.
From there she was off and running. Her film romps were done tastefully with an erotic twinge of innocence and gentle sexuality plus an occasional bubble bath thrown in as male bait. Her array of costumed teasers included the title role in Lucrèce Borgia (1953), as Lysistrata Daughters of Destiny (1954), Riviera (1954), the title role in Madame du Barry (1954), the title role in Nana (1955), The French, They Are a Funny Race (1955), the title role in Lola Montès (1955) and Defend My Love (1956). Several of the above-mentioned films were guided and directed by her second husband Christian-Jaque, her husband from 1954 to 1959. They later divorced due to professional conflicts and long separations.
A true feast for the eyes and one of the most beautiful actresses of her time, Martine tried to branch out internationally in films in the late 1950s. Unfortunately, Bardot had already taken over the top French sex goddess pedestal and Martine's fan base diminished. She co-starred with Van Johnson in the crime drama Action of the Tiger (1957), but it was met with indifference. She immediately returned to French/Italian films The Foxiest Girl in Paris (1957), The Stowaway (1958), La prima notte (1959), Ten Seconds to Hell (1959) and Atomic Agent (1959).
Problems with substance abuse and a severe accident severely curtailed her career in the 1960's. She continued with such films as The Battle of Austerlitz (1960) (as Empress Josephine), plus Un soir sur la plage (1961), The Counterfeiters of Paris (1961) and Beach Casanova (1962). She made her last film in 1963, which was released four years later as Hell Is Empty (1967).
Depressed, Martine turned alarmingly reclusive as a third marriage to French doctor Andre Rouveix also soured by 1962. One last marriage to fourth husband Mike Eland, an English businessman and friend of first hubby Steve Crane, seemed hopeful, but on February 6, 1967, Martine died of cardiac arrest at age 46 in the bathroom of a hotel in Monaco. Her husband discovered her. Newspapers hinted at a possible drug overdose but nothing was ever proven. She was buried in the cemetery of Cannes.- Félix Lefebvre was born on 19 November 1999 in Saint Maurice, Val-de-Marne, France. He is an actor, known for Summer of 85 (2020), School's Out (2018) and Le Domaine.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Olivier Claverie was born on 3 April 1959 in Melun, Seine-et-Marne, France. He is an actor, known for Angel-A (2005), Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022) and La commanderie (2010).- Music Artist
- Composer
- Actor
Slimane Nebchi, Slimane, is a French singer born in Chelles, France. He grew up in a family where music was an integral part of life, and he started singing and writing texts at the age of 12. When he moved to Paris at 19 years old, he worked at any job he could find, such as bar waiter or underwear salesman, to hardly achieve to pay his rent. Financial hard times were so difficult that he started considering quitting his singing aspirations. In 2016 he took part in season 5 of The Voice, France, and won the final on Saturday 15 May 2016. His new popularity allowed him to rediscover the song "Le Vide", a track he wrote after the Bataclan Theatre terrorist attack, in Paris, France, in November 2015. Slimane's debut album, entitled "A bout de rêves", was announced for 8 July 2016.- Thomas Julien Cadrot was born in Paris, France. He is the youngest of three children of an accountant mother, Flora, and an liaison officer, Fernand, both from the French West Indies. Thomas was fortunate enough to travel to numerous destinations during his upbringing. Being raised in such diverse locations as Paris, Miami, San Juan and Caracas exposed him to a wide variety of cultures and allowed him to be fluent not only in French, but also in English and Spanish.
Always passionate about the performing arts, Thomas made a point to train and get involved in projects while he obtained his masters degree in international business. His degree in hand, the moment had come to make a decision to either pursue what he loved or stick to the more conventional path. The former prevailed and brought him to the beautiful city of Vancouver, where he currently resides and where a burgeoning film industry offers him opportunities daily. - Costume Designer
- Actor
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jean-Paul Gaultier was born on 24 April 1952 in Arcueil, Seine [now Val-de-Marne], France. He is a costume designer and actor, known for The Fifth Element (1997), The City of Lost Children (1995) and The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989).- Actress
- Writer
- Director
Alexandra Lamy was born on 14 October 1971 in Villecresnes, Val-de-Marne, France. She is an actress and writer, known for You Choose! (2017), Lucky Luke (2009) and Rolling to You (2018). She was previously married to Jean Dujardin.- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Dany Verissimo-Petit is an edgy and talented young actress with an unusual background. Her recent runaway success in the play "D.A.F. Marquis de Sade" (2013), and a two-season run in the hit Canal Plus TV series Maison Close (currently being adapted by HBO), have led to her integration into a number of upcoming projects with French theater director Nicolas Briançon.
In 2004, producer Luc Besson gave her her first lead role in a mainstream movie: Dany was Lola in "District B13," a bleak, futuristic look at street gangs by director Pierre Morel. Her depiction of Lola was both wild and strong, and the film was a spectacular success.
After a succession of minor roles, in May 2006 ELLE magazine's Cannes Special Edition highlighted Dany as one of the 17 rising French actresses, and French literary giant Alain Robbe-Grillet made her the star of his last film, "It's Gradiva who is calling you" (U.S release 2009). "She surprises by her generosity and the strength of her presence," Robbe-Grillet told reporters, clearly enchanted by the mesmerizing performance of his young female star.
Dany has been Camelia, a rebellious 19th century prostitute, in the Canal Plus series Maison Close (Season 1, 2010; Season 2, 2012; the series is being adapted by HBO). Her powerful 2013 performance on the stage in "D.A.F. Marquis de Sade", directed by Nicolas Briançon, won critical accolades including "hypnotic" (Theatre.com) and "the perfect incarnation of... a sublime physique and an undeniable acting talent" (RegArts).
Dany speaks completely fluent English, as well as her native French, and moonlights as a painter. She has a (2013) 10 year-old daughter is divorced from the actor Rodolphe Verissimo, and lives in Paris.- Marie Bunel followed the course of the Lee Strasberg Institute in Los Angeles and became the student of Blanche Salant at the American Center of Paris. Her career began under the direction of Michel Lang in 1977 in L'hotel de la plage and followed in 1982 in La Boum 2 by Claude Pinoteau. She worked with Claude Chabrol (Le Sang Des Autres ; Une Affaire de Femme ; La Fille Coupée En Deux, Bellamy), Christian Vincent (La Discrète), Robert Enrico (La Révolution Française), Claude Lelouch (Les Misérables), Christophe Barratier (Les Choristes ; La Nouvelle Guerre Des Boutons). She was recently in "Jappeloup" by Christian Duguay with Guillaume Canet and Daniel Auteuil and in the latest feature film by Bertrand Tavernier, Quai d'Orsay.
She was nominated in 1995 for the Cesar of the Best Promising Actress for her role of Isabelle in Couples et Amants by John Lvoff. More recently, she was nominated for Best Actress at the Australian Academy Of Cinema and Television Arts for her role in An Accidental Soldier directed by Rachel Ward.
On television, she starred in many different dramas, notably with Michel Boujenah and Charles Berling in Les Inséparables, by Elisabeth Rappeneau, she was in the first and the second season of La Cour Des Grands directed by Christophe Barraud and on Canal + in the Tunnel serie with Clémence Poésy and English actor Stephen Dillane. Recently we have been able to see her on France 2 in Main courante, a serie directed by Jean-Marc Thérin.
Marie has just finished filming Coup de coeur with Pierre Arditi for France 2, under the direction of Dominique Ladoge, and Travelingue an adaptation of the novel by Marcel Ayme directed by Gérard Jurd'hui for France 2. On theater she worked with stage director Roger Planchon in the Radeau de la Méduse, Jean-Jacques Zilbermann in Boutique au coin de la rue, Stéphane Hillel in Le meilleur professeur or Patrice Kerbrat in Oncle Vania play that she will resume in 2009, but under the direction of Claudia Stavisky. In 2013, Marie was at the Opéra Comique in Cendrillon adapted and directed by Thierry Niang Thieû. She also played in Autumn Dream directed by Patrice Chéreau, She's in Le Système in Théatre Antoine, directed by Didier Long and her last movie was realased the 20th of May A court d'enfants, a movie by Marie-Hélène Roux. Marie Bunel will be the lead actress of Links of life, directed by Marie-Hélène Roux, shooting in autumn 2015 with American actor René Heger. - Actor
- Director
- Writer
Xavier Legrand was born on 28 March 1979 in Melun, Seine-et-Marne, France. He is an actor and director, known for Custody (2017), Just Before Losing Everything (2013) and The Successor (2023).- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Pierre Perrier was born on 9 August 1984 in Nogent-sur-Marne, Val-de-Marne, France. He is an actor and director, known for Sexual Chronicles of a French Family (2012), American Translation (2011) and Faites comme chez vous (2005).- Opulent French actress Suzanne Flon, who came from humble beginnings, evolved into a luminous stage and film star whose career lasted five decades. She was born near Paris, the daughter of a railway worker and a seamstress and at school developed an interest in writing poetry. Following high school she worked as an English interpreter at Au Printemps, a large Parisian department store, before finding a position with the famed songbird Édith Piaf as her personal secretary. Ms. Flon's first performance was as a mistress of ceremonies in a musical revue. She continued on stage and eventually developed an association with the noted playwright Jean Anouilh in the early 1940s; she played his heroine Ismene in "Antigone" and played Joan of Arc to great acclaim in "The Lark" in 1953. She also dabbled in avant garde works by Marguerite Duras as well as Shakespeare, Pirandello, Chekhov and Molliere and won a number of stage awards for her efforts. In 1959, she became a member of the Theatre National Populaire and appeared in several plays under the direction of René Clair.
Ms. Flon began in films with Capitaine Blomet (1947) before branching out internationally in the 1950s. She was an elegant standout as a free-spirited couture model who became the object of fascination and desire for the crippled painter Toulouse-Lautrec played by José Ferrer in John Huston's film Moulin Rouge (1952). She also impressed in friend Orson Welles' comedy-thriller Confidential Report (1955) as a listless patrician, and later played Miss Pittl for him in The Trial (1962) [The Trial]. War themes were prominent in her 1960s work. In Thou Shalt Not Kill (1961) [Thou Shalt Not Kill], she won the Venice Film Festival award for her resolute mother whose son resists the World War I draft. In The Train (1964) starring Burt Lancaster, Jeanne Moreau and Paul Scofield she had some excellent scenes as an art curator who becomes a detrimental figure in the Nazi's plans to secretly export masterpieces out of France during the French Resistance.
Awards continued to come her way with a number of stylish and sensitive "grande dame" roles. She won bookend César awards for One Deadly Summer (1983) [One Deadly Summer] as Isabelle Adjani's deaf but highly sensitized aunt, and as the mother of Lambert Wilson in La vouivre (1989) [The Dragon]. Her rich and soothing voice was also used frequently for French narratives in numerous documentaries. Ms. Flon continued to appear on stage, film and TV right up until her death of a stomach ailment at age 87 in 2005. - Actress
- Soundtrack
Sheila was born on 16 August 1945 in Créteil, Val-de-Marne, France. She is an actress, known for Bang Bang (1967), The Connection (2014) and Same Old Song (1997). She was previously married to Lionel Leroy and Ringo Willy Cat.