Jean Rochefort

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Jean Rochefort
Rochefort in 1979
Born
Jean Raoul Robert Rochefort

(1930-04-29)29 April 1930
Died9 October 2017(2017-10-09) (aged 87)
Paris, France
Resting placeGrosrouvre Cemetery, Grosrouvre, France
EducationCNSAD
OccupationActor
Years active1953–2016
Spouses
Elisabeth Bardin
(m. 1952; div. 1960)
Alexandra Moscwa
(m. 1960; div. 1981)
Françoise Vidal
(m. 1989)
Children6

Jean Raoul Robert Rochefort (French: [ʒã ʁɔʃ.fɔʁ]; 29 April 1930 – 9 October 2017) was a French actor. He received many accolades during his career, including an Honorary César in 1999.

Life and career

Rochefort was born on 29 April 1930 in Paris, France, to Breton parents.[1][better source needed] He was educated at the Lycée Pierre Corneille in Rouen.[2][3]

Rochefort was nineteen years old when he entered the Centre d'Art Dramatique de la rue Blanche. Later he joined the Conservatoire National.[4] After completing his national service in 1953, he worked with the Compagnie Grenier Hussenot as a theatre actor for seven years. There he was noticed for his ability to play both drama and comedy. He then became a television and cinema actor, and also worked as director.

After some supporting roles in Cartouche, Captain Fracasse and in Marvelous Angelique, Rochefort played his first big role with Annie Girardot as his wife and Claude Jade as his daughter in Hearth Fires in 1972. In this drama, he starred as a man who leaves his family for ten years before returning. In this film he played with 41 years a family father of adult children (the young Claude Jade was already 23). To appear older, he grew a moustache, his trademark, which he had removed only once in 1996 for Ridicule.

Four years after Hearth Fires he was the leading star of the midlife crisis comedy Pardon Mon Affaire as a man who risks his married life with Danièle Delorme for an affair with Anny Duperey. Thanks to the success of this film, Rochefort achieved big popularity. In 1972, he starred opposite Pierre Richard as Chief of Counter-Espionage Louis Toulouse in the Yves Robert comedy Le Grand Blond avec une chaussure noire, a role he reprised in the 1974 sequel Le Retour du grand blond, also directed by Robert. In 1998, he starred as "Fernand de Morcerf" opposite Gerard Depardieu in the mini-series Le Comte de Monte Cristo.

In his thirties during the shooting of Cartouche, he discovered his passion for horses and equestrianism. He was a horse breeder since then and owned Le Haras de Villequoy. His passion led him to become a horse consultant for French television in 2004. He won two César Awards: in 1976, Best Supporting Actor for Que la fête commence; and in 1978, Best Actor for Le Crabe-tambour.

Rochefort in 2013

In the eighties, he became the narrator of the French version of Welcome to Pooh Corner, replacing Laurie Main. This made him popular with children at the time and Disney hired him to record several audio versions of their classic movies. In the 1990s, he returned to comedy with Les Grands Ducs where he played alongside two other actors of his generation with a similar career, Philippe Noiret and Jean-Pierre Marielle.

He was set to play the lead role in The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, after being found as "the perfect Quixote" by director Terry Gilliam. Rochefort learned to speak English just for the part. Unfortunately, amongst other production problems, he began suffering from a herniated disc. Unable to film for months, production was cancelled. A documentary, Lost in La Mancha, was made about the failed production.

In 1960, he married Alexandra Moscwa, with whom he had two children: Marie (1962) and Julien (1965). With actress-filmmaker Nicole Garcia, he also had a son Pierre. Through his second marriage with Françoise Vidal, he had two children, Louise (1990) and Clémence (1992).

Death

Rochefort died on 9 October 2017 at the age of 87.[5][6]

Awards

Rochefort won many awards throughout his career, most notably three César Awards: Best Supporting Actor for Que La Fête Commence, Best Actor for Le Crabe-Tambour and an honorary prize in 1999. He was nominated for many more awards.[7]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1956 Rencontre à Paris (Meeting in Paris) Intern Uncredited
1958 Une balle dans le canon (A Bullet in the Gun Barrel) Léopold
1961 Vingt mille lieues sur la terre (20,000 Leagues Across the Land) Fernand
Le Capitaine Fracasse Malartic
1962 Cartouche (Swords of Blood) La Taupe
Le Soleil dans l'oeil (Sun in Your Eyes)[8] Cameo appearance
Le Masque de fer (The Iron Mask) Lastréaumont
1963 Fort-du-fou (Outpost in Indo-china)[9] Sergeant Hérange
Symphonie pour un massacre [fr] (Symphony for a Massacre)[10] Jabeke
The Bread Peddler Ovide Soliveau
La Foire aux cancres [fr] (The Blockhead Fair) Sigoules
1964 Du grabuge chez les veuves [fr] (Trouble Among Widows) Inspector Laforêt
Les Pieds nickelés [fr] Croquignol
Angélique, Marquise des Anges François Desgrez
Beautiful Families Marquis Osvaldo (segment "Amare è un po' morire")
1965 Merveilleuse Angélique (Marvelous Angelique) François Desgrez
Les Tribulations d'un chinois en Chine (Up to His Ears) Leon
1966 Angélique et le roy (Angelique and the King) François Desgrez
Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? (Who Are You, Polly Magoo?) Grégoire Pecque
1967 Le Dimanche de la vie [fr] Capitain Bordeille
À cœur joie (Two Weeks in September) Philippe
1968 Ne jouez pas avec les Martiens (Don't Play with Martians) René Mastier
Pour un amour lointain Guillaume
1969 The Devil by the Tail Count Georges de Coustines
1970 Le Temps de mourir (The Time to Die) Hervé Breton
La Liberté en croupe [fr] Moss
Céleste [fr] Georges Cazenave
1972 Les malheurs d'Alfred Uncredited
L'Œuf [fr][11] ("The Egg") Victor Dugommier
Les Feux de la chandeleur (Hearth Fires) Alexandre Boursault
Le Grand blond avec une chaussure noire (The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe) Colonel Louis Toulouse
1973 L'Héritier (The Inheritor) André Berthier
Le Complot [fr] (The Conspiracy) Dominique Clavet
Bel ordure [fr] (Lovely Swine) Police Inspector
Dio, sei proprio un padreterno! (Mean Frank and Crazy Tony) Louis Annunziata
Salut l'artiste (Hail The Artist) Clément Chamfort
1974 L'Horloger de Saint-Paul (The Clockmaker) Inspector Guilboud
Comment réussir quand on est con et pleurnichard (How to Make Good When One Is a Jerk and a Crybaby) Foisnard
Le fantôme de la liberté (The Phantom of Liberty) Mr. Legendre
Mio Dio, come sono caduta in basso! (Till Marriage Do Us Part) Baron Henri De Sarcey
Retour du grand blond (The Return of the Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe) Colonel Toulouse
1975 Isabelle devant le désir [fr] (Isabelle and Lust) Mr. Vaudois
Que la fête commence... (Let Joy Reign Supreme) Dubois
Les innocents aux mains sales (Innocents with Dirty Hands) Albert Légal
Un divorce heureux (A Happy Divorce) Jean-Baptiste Morin
1976 Les vécés étaient fermés de l'intérieur [fr] Commissioner Pichard
Calmos (Cool, Calm and Collected) Albert
Les Magiciens (Death Rite) Edouard
Pardon Mon Affaire (An Elephant Can Be Extremely Deceptive) Étienne Dorsay
1977 Le Diable dans la boîte [fr][12] (The Devil in the Box) Alain Brissot
Nous irons tous au paradis (We Will All Meet in Paradise) Étienne Dorsay
Le Crabe-tambour (Drummer-Crab) The Captain
1978 Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? Auguste Grandvilliers
1979 Le Cavaleur [fr] (Practice Makes Perfect) Édouard Choiseul
Grandison [fr][13] Carl Grandison
Courage - Let's Run Martin Belhomme
French Postcards Mr. Tessier
1980 Chère inconnue [fr] (Sent a Letter to My Love) Gilles Martin
Odio le bionde (I Hate Blondes) Donald Rose
1981 Un étrange voyage Pierre
Il faut tuer Birgitt Haas (Birgitt Haas Must Be Killed) Charles-Philippe Bauman
1982 L'Indiscrétion [fr] Alain Tescique
Le Grand Frère (The Big Brother) Charles-Henri Rossi
1983 Un dimanche de flic [fr][14] ("A Cops' Sunday") Rupert
L'Ami de Vincent [fr] (A Friend of Vincent) Vincent Lamarre
1984 Frankenstein 90 Victor Frankenstein
Réveillon chez Bob [fr] Louis Alban
1985 David, Thomas et les autres[15] ("A Volley for a Black Buffalo") Mr. Louis
1986 La Galette du roi [fr] Arnold
1987 Le Moustachu [fr] (The Field Agent) Capitain Duroc
Tandem Michel Mortez
My First Forty Years (also known as My Wonderful Life) Prince Riccio
1989 Je suis le seigneur du château (I'm the King of the Castle) Jean Bréaud
1990 Le Mari de la coiffeuse (The Hairdresser's Husband) Antoine
Le Château de ma mère (My Mother's Castle) Loïs de Montmajour / Adolphe Cassignole
1991 Amoureux fou ("Love Crazy" or "Madly in Love") Rudolph
1992 Le Bal des casse-pieds [fr] Henri Sauveur
El largo invierno Jordi Casals
The Timekeeper Louis XV of France Short
L'Atlantide[16] Le Meige
1993 Tango Bellhop
Cible émouvante [fr] (Wild Target) Victor Meynard
La prossima volta il fuoco[17] ("Next Time the Fire") Amedeo
Tombés du ciel (Lost in Transit) Arturo Conti
1994 Tutti gli anni una volta l'anno (Once a Year, Every Year) Raffaele
Prêt-à-Porter Inspector Tantpis
1995 Tom est tout seul[18] Jean-Pierre
Palace[19] Thomas Fausto
1996 Les Grands Ducs Eddie Carpentier
Ridicule Marquis of Bellegarde
Never Ever Gerard Panier
1997 Barracuda [fr] Mr. Clément
1998 Le Serpent a mangé la grenouille[20] Mr. Moreau
Le Comte de Monte Cristo[21] ("The Count of Monte Cristo") Fernand de Morcerf 4 episodes
El viento se llevó lo qué [it][22] ("Wind with the Gone") Edgar Wexley
1999 Rembrandt Nicolaes Tulp
2001 Le Placard Kopel
Honolulu Baby[23] Cri Cri
La Vie sans secret de Walter Nions[24] Walter Nions Short
2002 L'homme du train (The Man on the Train) Manesquier
Blanche [fr] Cardinal Mazarin
Lost in La Mancha Himself Uncredited
2003 Fanfan la tulipe Narrator Voice
Il était une fois Jean-Sébastien Bach Narrator Voice
Les Clefs de bagnole (The Car Keys) Himself cameo appearance
2004 RRRrrrr!!! Lucie
Les Dalton (The Daltons) Jolly Jumper Voice
2005 Akoibon [fr] Chris Barnes
L'enfer (Hell) Louis
2006 Ne le dis à personne (Tell No One) Gilbert Neuville
Désaccord parfait [fr] Louis Ruinard
2007 Mr. Bean's Holiday Head Waiter
I Always Wanted to Be a Gangster Jean
La clef Joseph Arp
2008 id - Identity of the Soul Narrator
Agathe Cléry Louis Guignard
2011 Titeuf Pépé Voice
2012 The Artist and the Model Marc Cros
Astérix et Obélix: Au service de sa Majesté (Asterix and Obelix: God Save Britannia) Lucius Fouinus
2013 Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart Méliès Voice
Jappeloup Himself Uncredited
2015 April and the Twisted World Pops Voice
Floride Claude Lherminier

Theater

Audio book

Notes

  1. ^ Source : Who's Who. Jean Rochefort was not born in Dinan, but his parents were living there.
  2. ^ "Lycée Pierre Corneille de Rouen - The Lycée Corneille of Rouen". lgcorneille-lyc.spip.ac-rouen.fr.
  3. ^ Jacques Lafitte, Stephen Taylor (1999). Qui est qui en France. J. Lafitte. p. 1471.
  4. ^ "Jean ROCHEFORT". Festival de Cannes (in French). 17 May 2011. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  5. ^ "French acting legend Jean Rochefort has died". The Independent. 9 October 2017. Archived from the original on 9 October 2017.
  6. ^ Vely, Yannick (9 October 2017). "Jean Rochefort, la mort de l'élégant du cinéma français". parismatch.be (in French). Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  7. ^ "Jean Rochefort". IMDb. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  8. ^ "Le soleil dans l'oeil". Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  9. ^ "Fort-du-fou". Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  10. ^ "Symphonie pour un massacre". Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  11. ^ "L'oeuf". Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  12. ^ "Le Diable dans la boîte". Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  13. ^ "Grandison". Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  14. ^ "Un dimanche de flic". Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  15. ^ "Sortüz egy fekete bivalyért". Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  16. ^ "l'Atlantide". Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  17. ^ "La prossima volta il fuoco". Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  18. ^ "Tom est tout seul". Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  19. ^ "Palace (1995)". Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  20. ^ "Le serpent a mangé la grenouille". Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  21. ^ "Le Comte de Monme Cristo". Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  22. ^ "El viento se llevó lo qué". Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  23. ^ "Honolulu Baby". Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  24. ^ "La Vie sans secret de Walter Nions". Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  25. ^ Télé 7 Jours (1377): 99. 18–24 October 1986. Note critique : Un hommage flamboyant au Boulevard du crime. Une mise en scène insolente et une troupe de comédiens qui joue le jeu avec un bonheur évident. En tête, Jean Rochefort qui interprète avec panache le célèbre Robert Macaire. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

External links