René Xavier Marie Alain Cuny (12 July 1908 – 16 May 1994) was a French actor of stage and screen. He was closely linked with the works of

Paul Claudel Paul Claudel (; 6 August 1868 – 23 February 1955) was a French poet, dramatist and diplomat, and the younger brother of the sculptor Camille Claudel. He was most famous for his verse dramas, which often convey his devout Catholicism. Early lif ...

and

Antonin Artaud Antoine Marie Joseph Paul Artaud, better known as Antonin Artaud (; 4 September 1896 – 4 March 1948), was a French writer, poet, dramatist, visual artist, essayist, actor and theatre director. He is widely recognized as a major figure of the E ...

, and for his performances for the

Théâtre national populaire The Théâtre national populaire (French for ''People's National Theater'') is a theatre now at Villeurbanne, France. It was founded in 1920 by Firmin Gémier in Paris. Today, the TNP has a company of ten resident actors and the building is cur ...

and Odéon-Théâtre de France. His film work included collaborations with directors Marcel Carné,

Louis Malle Louis Marie Malle (; 30 October 1932 – 23 November 1995) was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in both Cinema of France, French cinema and Cinema of the United States, Hollywood. Described as "eclectic" and "a fi ...

Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French-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 Fran� ...

Federico Fellini Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and most i ...

Michelangelo Antonioni Michelangelo Antonioni (, ; 29 September 1912 – 30 July 2007) was an Italian filmmaker. He is best known for directing his "trilogy on modernity and its discontents"—''L'Avventura'' (1960), ''La Notte'' (1961), and ''L'Eclisse'' (1962 ...

Francesco Rosi Francesco Rosi (; 15 November 1922 – 10 January 2015) was an Italian film director. His film '' The Mattei Affair'' won the Palme d'Or at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival. Rosi's films, especially those of the 1960s and 1970s, often appeared to ha ...

, and

Luis Buñuel Luis Buñuel Portolés (; 22 February 1900 – 29 July 1983) was a Spanish-Mexican filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico, and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians, and directors to be one of the greatest and m ...

. He was nominated for the

César Award for Best Supporting Actor List of winners and nominees of the César Award for Best Supporting Actor (french: César du meilleur second rôle masculin). History Superlatives List of winners and nominees 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Multiple awards an ...

for the 1988 film ''Camille Claudel'', and won the Joseph Plateau Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992.

Early life

René Xavier Marie Alain Cuny was born in

Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, on the English Channel coast. The walled city had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the Alli ...

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

.Alain Cuny
, at L'Encinémathèque. Retrieved 22 January 2016. He was brought up by an aunt and spent a large part of his childhood with her, in Boucé, and spent several years in an orphanage. He developed an early interest in painting and from the age of 15 he attended the

École des Beaux-Arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...

in Paris. He met

Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

Braque Georges Braque ( , ; 13 May 1882 – 31 August 1963) was a major 20th-century List of French artists, French painter, Collage, collagist, Drawing, draughtsman, printmaker and sculpture, sculptor. His most notable contributions were in his all ...

and members of the surrealist group."Alain Cuny"

Ciné-Ressources ''Ciné-Ressources'' is a union catalogue of the libraries and archives of French cinema, created on 22 August 2007 and managed by the Cinémathèque française. Initiated by the in collaboration with the , it provides access to more than 200, ...

; retrieved 22 January 2016. He then began working in the film industry as a costume, poster and set designer and was employed on films of

Cavalcanti Cavalcanti is an Italian surname, used by people of ancient Italian origin. In Italy and Brazil the variant Cavalcante is also used. The family came to Brazil in 1560. * Alberto Cavalcanti (1897–1982), Brazilian film director * Andrea Cavalcant ...

, Feyder and

Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that "Re ...

. After a meeting with the actor-manager

Charles Dullin Charles Dullin (; 8 May 1885 – 11 December 1949) was a French actor, theater manager and director. Career Dullin began his career as an actor in melodrama:185 In 1908, he started his first troupe with Saturnin Fabre, the ''Théâtre de Foir ...

, Cuny was persuaded to study drama and he began acting on stage in the late 1930s.

Career

In the theatre, Cuny became particularly linked with the works of

(who said of him after a performance of ''L'Annonce faite à Marie'' in 1944, "I have been waiting for you 20 years").James Kirkup
"Obituary: Alain Cuny"
in ''The Independent'', 18 May 1994. Retrieved 22 January 2016. Another literary friend and hero was

, "whose texts he read with supreme conviction at a time when Artaud was more or less an outcast, a situation reflected in Artaud's ''Van Gogh: The Man Suicided by Society'', which Cuny interpreted in his voice's fabulous organ tones". Later Cuny worked with

Jean Vilar Jean Vilar (25 March 1912– 28 May 1971) was a French actor and theatre director. Vilar trained under actor and theatre director Charles Dullin, then toured with an acting company throughout France. His directorial career began in 1943 in a sma ...

at the

, and with

Jean-Louis Barrault Jean-Louis Bernard Barrault (; 8 September 1910 – 22 January 1994) was a French actor, director and mime artist who worked on both screen and stage. Biography Barrault was born in Le Vésinet in France in 1910. His father was 'a Burgundia ...

at the Odéon-Théâtre de France.''Dictionnaire du cinéma populaire français''; sous la direction de Christian-Marc Bosséno et Yannick Dehée. (Paris: Nouveau Monde, 2004). p. 243. His dramatic presence and measured diction made him well-suited to many classical roles.''Dictionnaire du cinéma français'': sous la direction de Jean-Loup Passek. (Paris: Larousse, 1987). p. 97. His first major role in the cinema was as one of the devil's envoys in Marcel Carné's film '' Les Visiteurs du soir'' (1942). A few other romantic leading parts followed, but increasingly he appeared in supporting roles, especially in characterizations of intellectuals such as the tormented philosopher Steiner in ''

La Dolce Vita ''La Dolce Vita'' (; Italian for "the sweet life" or "the good life"Kezich, 203) is a 1960 satirical comedy-drama film directed and co-written (with Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli and Brunello Rondi) by Federico Fellini. The film stars Marcell ...

'' (1960), directed by

. He worked frequently in Italian cinema and had close associations with

and

as well as Fellini. One of his most admired film performances was in Rosi's '' Uomini contro'' (''Many Wars Ago'', 1970), as the rigidly authoritarian General Leone. Among his French films were '' The Lovers'' (''Les Amants'', 1958), directed by

, and

's ''

Détective ''Détective'' is a 1985 French crime film directed by Jean-Luc Godard. It was entered into the 1985 Cannes Film Festival. Plot In a room of a grand Paris hotel, two detectives are keeping watch. One is William, who used to be the hotel dete ...

'' (1985). He also appeared in the softcore porn film ''

Emmanuelle Emmanuelle is the lead character in a series of French erotic films based on the main character in the novel '' Emmanuelle'' (1959), created by Emmanuelle Arsan. Character history Emmanuelle appeared as the pen name of Marayat Rollet-Andri ...

'' (1974), a role which he said he took to show his contempt for the film business. Olivier Germain-Thomas: ''Agora:"les aventuriers de l'esprit"''. Besançon: La Manufacture, 1991. p. 209: "J'ai joué dans ''Emmanuelle'' pour me débarrasser de l'estime des gens que je n'estimais pas." In the same year, he played

Sitting Bull Sitting Bull ( lkt, Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake ; December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota leader who led his people during years of resistance against United States government policies. He was killed by Indian agency police on the Standing Rock I ...

in the absurdist western '' Ne touchez pas à la femme blanche!'' (''Don't Touch the White Woman!'', 1974). Towards the end of his career he returned to aspects of Claudel. He appeared in ''

Camille Claudel Camille Rosalie Claudel (; 8 December 1864 19 October 1943) was a French sculptor known for her figurative works in bronze and marble. She died in relative obscurity, but later gained recognition for the originality and quality of her work. The ...

'' (1988), a biographical film about the author's sister in which he played their father, Louis-Prosper Claudel. In 1991, he completed a long-planned film adaptation of a Claudel play ''

The Annunciation of Marie ''The Annunciation of Marie'' is the English-language title of the 1991 French-Canadian film ''L'Annonce faite à Marie'', an adaptation of the play of the same name by Paul Claudel. Production The director of this film, the French stage and film ...

'' (''L'Annonce faite à Marie'', 1991), a French-Canadian production in which he both directed and acted; it won him the Prix Georges-Sadoul. He also gave regular readings of Claudel's work at the

Festival d'Avignon The ''Festival d'Avignon'', or Avignon Festival, is an annual arts festival held in the French city of Avignon every summer in July in the courtyard of the Palais des Papes as well as in other locations of the city. Founded in 1947 by Jean Vila ...

Personal life

In 1962, he married Marie-Blanche Guidicelli. The couple divorced in 1969.

Death

Cuny died in 1994 in Paris. He is buried in Civry-la-Forêt, west of Paris, where he had lived.

Partial filmography

*1940: ''Après Mein Kampf mes crimes'' (directed by

Alexandre Ryder Alexandre Ryder (1891–1966) was a Polish-born French film director best known for his crime drama films of the 1920s and 1930s. He directed some 20 films between 1920 and 1950. His 1940 film '' Après Mein Kampf mes crimes'' (''My Crimes aft ...

) - Marinus van der Lubbe *1941: ''Madame Sans-Gêne'' (directed by

Roger Richebé Roger Richebé (3 December 1897, Marseille - 10 July 1989 in Ville-d'Avray), born Roger Gustave Richebé, was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer. Selected filmography * ' (1930) (producer) * '' La donna di una notte'' (1930) (pr ...

) - Roustan *1941: ''

Remorques ''Remorques'' (English title: ''Stormy Waters'') is a 1941 French drama film directed by Jean Grémillon. The screenplay was written by Jacques Prévert (scenario and dialogue) and André Cayatte (adaptation), based on the novel by Roger Vercel. ...

'' (''Stormy Waters'') (directed by

Jean Grémillon Jean Grémillon (; 3 October 1901 – 25 November 1959)Note that, despite attempts at correction, thIMDb entry on the directorlists his date of birth erroneously as 4 March 1898. The correct date is given in his standard biography, by Geneviève S ...

) - Un matelot du 'Mirva' (uncredited) *1942: '' Les Visiteurs du soir'' (directed by Marcel Carné) - Gilles - un ménestrel *1943: '' Le Baron fantôme'' (''The Phantom Baron'') (directed by

Serge de Poligny Serge de Poligny (1903–1983) was a French screenwriter and film director. Career Serge de Poligny was born in Paris in 1903. He studied art at the École des Beaux-Arts in the class of the painter Maurice Denis. In 1925 he joined the French ...

) - Hervé *1946: ''Solita de Cordoue'' (directed by

Willy Rozier Willy Rozier (27 June 1901 – 29 May 1983) was a French actor, film director, film producer and screenwriter who also used the pseudonym Xavier Vallier. Filmography Director * ''Les Monts en flammes'' (1931) * ''Calais-Dover'' (1931) * '' ...

) - Pierre Desluc *1951: '' Il Cristo proibito'' (''The Forbidden Christ'') (directed by

Curzio Malaparte Curzio Malaparte (; 9 June 1898 – 19 July 1957), born Kurt Erich Suckert, was an Italian writer, filmmaker, war correspondent and diplomat. Malaparte is best known outside Italy due to his works ''Kaputt'' (1944) and ''La pelle'' (1949). The f ...

) - Antonio *1952: '' Camicie rosse'' (''Red Shirts'') (directed by

Goffredo Alessandrini Goffredo Alessandrini (20 November 1904, in Cairo – 16 May 1978, in Rome) was an Italian scriptwriter and film director. He also acted, edited, and produced some films. He practiced athletics in his youth, and won a title of Italian champion ...

and

) - Bueno *1952: ''Les Conquérants solitaires'' (directed by Claude Vermorel) - Pascal Giroud *1953: '' La signora senza camelie'' (''The Lady Without Camelias'') (directed by

) - Lodi *1953: ''Mina de Vanghel'' (directed by Maurice Barry and Maurice Clavel) - M. de Larçay *1953: ''

Notre-Dame de Paris Notre-Dame de Paris (; meaning "Our Lady of Paris"), referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the Seine River), in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral, dedicated to the ...

'' (''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'') (directed by

Jean Delannoy Jean Delannoy (12 January 1908 – 18 June 2008) was a French actor, film editor, screenwriter and film director. Biography Although Delannoy was born in a Paris suburb, his family was from Haute-Normandie in the north of France. He was a P ...

) - Claude Frollo *1958: ''

Les Amants ''The Lovers'' (french: Les amants) is a 1958 French drama film directed by Louis Malle which stars Jeanne Moreau, Alain Cuny, and Jean-Marc Bory. Based on the posthumously-published 1876 short story ''Point de Lendemain'' by Dominique Vivant (174 ...

'' (''The Lovers'') (directed by

) - Henri Tournier *1960: ''

La dolce vita ''La Dolce Vita'' (; Italian for "the sweet life" or "the good life"Kezich, 203) is a 1960 satirical comedy-drama film directed and co-written (with Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli and Brunello Rondi) by Federico Fellini. The film stars Marcell ...

'' (directed by

) - Steiner *1961: ''Scano Boa'' (directed by Renato Dall'Ara) - Cavarzvan *1962: '' La Croix des vivants'' (''Cross of the Living'') (directed by Ivan Govar) - Baron VonEggerth *1963: ''

Peau de banane A banana peel, called banana skin in British English, is the outer covering of the banana fruit. Banana peels are used as food for animals, an ingredient in cooking, in water purification, for manufacturing of several biochemical products as ...

'' (''Banana Peel'')) (directed by

Marcel Ophüls Marcel Ophuls (; born 1 November 1927) is a German-French documentary film maker and former actor, best known for his films ''The Sorrow and the Pity'' and '' Hôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie''. Life and career Ophuls was bo ...

) - Hervé Bontemps *1963: ''

La corruzione ''Corruption'' ( it, La corruzione) is a 1963 Italian drama film directed by Mauro Bolognini. Plot A young man upon finishing college announces to his publisher father that he wants to become a priest. The father who wants his son to take over ...

'' (''Corruption'') (directed by

Mauro Bolognini Mauro Bolognini (28 June 1922 – 14 May 2001) was an Italian film and stage director of literate sensibility, known for his masterly handling of period subject matter. Early years Bolognini was born in Pistoia, in the Tuscany region of Italy. ...

) - Leonardo Mattioli *1965: '' Astataïon, ou Le Festin des morts'' (''Mission of Fear'') (directed by

Fernand Dansereau Fernand Dansereau (born April 5, 1928) is a Canadian film director and film producer. Biography After five years working as a reporter for the Montreal daily Le Devoir, Dansereau joined the NFB in 1955. He was a founding member of the NFB's ...

) - Jean de Bréboeuf *1969: '' La Voie lactée'' (''The Milky Way'') (directed by

) - L'homme à la cape / Man with cape *1969: ''

Satyricon The ''Satyricon'', ''Satyricon'' ''liber'' (''The Book of Satyrlike Adventures''), or ''Satyrica'', is a Latin work of fiction believed to have been written by Gaius Petronius, though the manuscript tradition identifies the author as Titus Petro ...

'' (directed by Federico Fellini) - Lica *1970: '' Uomini contro'' (''Many Wars Ago'') (directed by Francesco Rosi) - generale Leone *1971: ''La grande scrofa nera'' (directed by Filippo Ottoni) - Il Padre di Enrico *1971: ''Valparaiso, Valparaiso'' (directed by Filippo Ottoni)- Balthazar Lamarck-Caulaincourt *1972: ''

L'udienza ''L'udienza'' is a 1972 Italian-French drama film directed by Marco Ferreri. It was entered into the 22nd Berlin International Film Festival. Cast * Enzo Jannacci - Amedeo * Claudia Cardinale - Aiche * Ugo Tognazzi - Aureliano Diaz * Michel P ...

'' (directed by Marco Ferreri) - Padre gesuita *1972: ''Il maestro e Margherita'' (''The Master and Margaret'') (directed by Aleksandar Petrović) - Profesor Woland & Satana *1973: ''La rosa rossa'' (directed by Franco Giraldi) *1974: '' Touche pas à la femme blanche!'' (''Don't Touch the White Woman!'') (directed by

Marco Ferreri Marco Ferreri (11 May 1928 – 9 May 1997) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and actor, who began his career in the 1950s directing three films in Spain, followed by 24 Italian films before his death in 1997. He is considered one of t ...

) - Sitting Bull *1974: ''

'' (directed by

Just Jaeckin Just Jaeckin (8 August 1940 – 6 September 2022) was a French film director, photographer, and sculptor. Early life Jaeckin was born in Vichy, Allier, French State during the Second World War, but left with his mother and father for Englan ...

) - Mario *1975: ''Ame no Amsterdam'' (directed by

Koreyoshi Kurahara (31 May 1927 – 28 December 2002) was a Japanese screenwriter and director. He is perhaps best known for directing ''Antarctica'' (1983), which won several awards and was entered into the 34th Berlin International Film Festival. He also co- ...

) *1975: ''Irene, Irene'' (directed by

Peter Del Monte Peter Del Monte (29 July 1943 – 31 May 2021) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed fifteen films between 1969 and 2021. His 1982 film ''Invitation au voyage'' won the prize for the Best Artistic Contribution at the 1982 ...

) - Guido Boeri *1976: '' Cadaveri eccellenti'' (''Illustrious Corpses'') (directed by Francesco Rosi) - Judge Rasto *1976: ''I prosseneti'' (directed by Brunello Rondi) - Il conte Davide *1977: ''Jacques Prévert'' (directed by Jean Desvilles) - Himself *1978: '' El recurso del método'' (''The Recourse to the Method'') (directed by

Miguel Littín Miguel Ernesto Littin Cucumides (born 9 August 1942) is a Chilean film director, screenwriter, film producer and novelist. He was born to a Palestinian father, Hernán Littin and a Greek mother, Cristina Cucumides. Career Miguel Littin dir ...

) - El Académico *1978: ''

La Chanson de Roland ''The Song of Roland'' (french: La Chanson de Roland) is an 11th-century ''chanson de geste'' based on the Frankish military leader Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778 AD, during the reign of the Carolingian king Charlemagne. It is ...

'' (''The Song of Roland'') (directed by Frank Cassenti) - Turpin / Le moine *1979: '' Cristo si è fermato a Eboli'' (''Christ Stopped at Eboli'') (directed by Francesco Rosi) - Barone Nicola Rotunno *1979: ''Roberte'' (directed by Pierre Zucca) - pur esprit (voice) *1981: '' Les Jeux de la Comtesse Dolingen de Gratz'' (directed by Catherine Binet) *1982: ''

Les Maîtres du temps ''Les Maîtres du temps'' (lit. ''The Masters of Time'', a.k.a. ''Time Masters''; ''Herrscher der Zeit'' in German; ''Az idő urai'' in Hungarian) is a 1982 Franco-West German- Swiss-British- Hungarian animated science fiction feature film direc ...

'' (directed by

René Laloux René Laloux (; July 1929 – 14 March 2004) was a French animator, screenwriter and film director. Biography He was born in Paris in 1929 and went to art school to study painting. After some time working in advertising, he got a job in a psychi ...

) - Xul (voice) *1983: '' Quartetto Basileus'' (''Basileus Quartet'') (directed by Fabio Carpi) - *1985: ''

'' (directed by

) - Old Mafioso *1987: '' Cronaca di una morte annunciata'' (''Chronicle of a Death Foretold'') (directed by Francesco Rosi) - Widower *1987: ''Lucky Ravi'' (directed by Vincent Lombard) - Plantation Owner *1987: '' Das weite Land'' (''The Distant Land'') (directed by

Luc Bondy Luc Bondy (17 July 1948 – 28 November 2015) was a Swiss theatre and film director. Life and career upright=1.3, '' Charlotte Salomon'' at the Salzburg Festival 2014 Trained in Paris with the theatre teacher Jacques Lecoq, he received a job ...

) - Aigner - le père d'Otto *1988: ''Umi e'' (directed by Koreyoshi Kurahara) *1988: ''

'' (directed by

Bruno Nuytten Bruno Nuytten (born 28 August 1945) is a French cinematographer turned director. ''Camille Claudel'' which was Nuytten's first directorial and screenwriting effort, won the César Award for Best film in 1989. The film starred and was co-produced ...

) - Louis-Prosper Claudel *1989: ''La Nuit de l'éclusier'' (directed by Franz Rickenbach) - Gutberg *1990: ''Les Chevaliers de la Table ronde'' (directed by Denis Llorca) - Merlin *1991: ''Uova di garofano'' (directed by Silvano Agosti) - Crimen *1991: '' L'Annonce faite à Marie'' (''The Annunciation of Marie'') (directed by Alain Cuny) - Anne Vercors *1992: '' Le Retour de Casanova'' (''The Return of Casanova'') (directed by Édouard Niermans) - Marquis

References

External links

* * * *
Alain Cuny
at Film Reference. Retrieved 22 January 2016. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cuny, Alain 1908 births 1994 deaths French male film actors French male stage actors People from Saint-Malo 20th-century French male actors