Jean Desailly (24 August 1920 – 11 June 2008) was a French actor. He was a member of the

Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...

from 1942 to 1946, and later participated in about 90 movies.

Life and career

Desailly studied at the

École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts The Beaux-Arts de Paris is a French ''grande école'' whose primary mission is to provide high-level arts education and training. This is classical and historical School of Fine Arts in France. The art school, which is part of the Paris Science ...

and the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

winning first prize, joining the Comédie-Française in 1942. In 1946 he became a leading member of the

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 ...

- Madeleine Renaud company at the

Théâtre Marigny The Théâtre Marigny is a theatre in Paris, situated near the junction of the Champs-Élysées and the Avenue Marigny in the 8th arrondissement. It was originally built to designs of the architect Charles Garnier for the display of a panoram ...

, playing in a wide repertoire from ''

Les Fausses Confidences ''Les Fausses Confidences'' is a three-act comedy in prose by the French playwright Pierre de Marivaux, Pierre de Carlet de Chamberlain de Marivaux. It was first performed on the 16 March 1737 by the actors of the Comédie Italienne at the Hôtel ...

'', ''

Bérénice ''Berenice'' (french: Bérénice) is a five-act tragedy by the French 17th-century playwright Jean Racine. ''Berenice'' was not played often between the 17th and the 20th centuries. It was premiered on 21 November 1670 by the Comédiens du Roi ...

'' and '' Le Songe d'une nuit d'été''. With the Renaud-Barrault at the Odéon-Théâtre de France he played both leading roles in ''

le Mariage de Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' (french: link=no, La Folle Journée, ou Le Mariage de Figaro ("The Mad Day, or The Marriage of Figaro")) is a comedy in five acts, written in 1778 by Pierre Beaumarchais. This play is the second in the Figaro trilogy, ...

'': Figaro on tour in the provinces and Count Almaviva in Paris. Desailly's second wife was the French actress

Simone Valère Simone Valère (2 August 1923 – 11 November 2010) was a French actress. She appeared in more than forty films from 1941 to 1993. Filmography External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Valere, Simone 1923 births 2010 deaths Actresses from Pa ...

, with whom he formed a theatre company which they directed successively at the

Théâtre Hébertot Théâtre Hébertot () is a theatre at 78, boulevard des Batignolles, in the 17th arrondissement of Paris, France. History The theatre, completed in 1838 and opening as the Théâtre des Batignolles, was later renamed Théâtre des Arts in 190 ...

and the

Théâtre de la Madeleine The Théâtre de la Madeleine is a theater in Paris built in the English style in 1924 on the site of a carousel. The first major success of the theatre came with the presentation of part one of '' The Merchants of Glory'' by Marcel Pagnol. The T ...

. A wide repertoire was played at the two theatres from 1972 to 2002.Don des archives de la Compagnie Valère-Desailly (ARchives of the company)
accessed 25 May 2015 In music he was the narrator on the 1965 recording of Stravinsky's ''

Oedipus rex ''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' ( grc, Οἰδίπους Τύραννος, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed around 429 BC. Originally, to the ancient Gr ...

'' conducted by

Karel Ančerl Karel Ančerl (11 April 1908 – 3 July 1973) was a Czechoslovak conductor and composer, renowned especially for his performances of contemporary music and for his interpretations of music by Czech composers. Ančerl was born into a prosper ...

for Supraphon and on the 1971 recording of Honegger's ''

Le roi David ''Le Roi David'' was composed in Mézières, Switzerland, in 1921 by Arthur Honegger, as incidental music for a play in French by René Morax. It was called dramatic psalm, but has also been performed as oratorio, without staging. The plot, bas ...

'' under

Charles Dutoit Charles Édouard Dutoit (born 7 October 1936) is a Swiss conductor. He is currently the principal guest conductor for the Saint Petersburg Philharmonia and co-director of thMISA Festival in Shanghai In 2017, he became the 103rd recipient of th ...

for Erato (with Valère as the prophetess).

Partial filmography

*1943: '' Strange Inheritance'' - Gilles Mauvoisin *1945: '' Father Goriot'' - Bianchon *1945: '' The Last Judgment'' - Kyril *1946: ''

Sylvie and the Ghost ''Sylvie and the Ghost'' (French: ''Sylvie et le fantôme'') is a 1946 French comedy film directed by Claude Autant-Lara and starring Odette Joyeux, François Périer and Pierre Larquey. It was shot at the Saint-Maurice Studios in Paris. The fil ...

'' - Frédéric *1946: ''

Pastoral Symphony The Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, also known as the ''Pastoral Symphony'' (German: ''Pastorale''), is a symphony composed by Ludwig van Beethoven and completed in 1808. One of Beethoven's few works containing explicitly programmatic con ...

'' - Jacques Martens - son fils *1946: '' Patrie'' (directed by

Louis Daquin Louis Daquin (20 May 1908 – 2 October 1980) was a French film director, screenwriter and actor. He directed 14 films between 1938 and 1963. He also appeared in 11 films between 1937 and 1979. Selected filmography * '' The Man from Nowher ...

) - Karloo *1946: ''

The Revenge of Roger ''The Revenge of Roger'' (French: ''La revanche de Roger la Honte'') is a 1946 French historical crime film directed by André Cayatte and starring Lucien Coëdel, María Casares and Paul Bernard. The film is based on a novel by Jules Mary.G ...

'' - Raymond de Noirville *1947: ''Amours, délices et orgues'' - Jean Pelletier dit 'Pivoine' *1947: ''Carré de valets'' - Jacques de la Bastide *1948: ''Une grande fille toute simple'' - Michel *1949: ''L'échafaud peut attendre'' - Michel Vincent *1949: '' The Mark of the Day'' - Larzac *1949: ''La veuve et l'innocent'' - Claude Girelle *1949: ''

Keep an Eye on Amelia ''Keep an Eye on Amelia'' (French: ''Occupe-toi d'Amélie'') is a 1949 French-Italian comedy film directed by Claude Autant-Lara and starring Danielle Darrieux and Jean Desailly and Grégoire Aslan. It is based on the 1908 play of the same name ...

'' ''(Occupe-toi d'Amélie)'' - Marcel Courbois *1950: ''Chéri'' - Fred Peloux, dit 'Chéri' *1950: ''Véronique'' - Florestan *1951: ''Demain nous divorçons'' - Max Blachet *1952: ''

Jocelyn Jocelyn is a surname and first name. It is a unisex (male/female) name. Variants include Jocelin, Jocelyne, Jocelynn, Jocelynne, Joscelin, Josceline, Joscelyn, Joscelynn, Joscelynne, Joseline, Joselyn, Joselyne, Joslin, Joslyn, Josselin, Josselyn, ...

'' - Jocelyn *1954: ''

Royal Affairs in Versailles ''Royal Affairs in Versailles'' (French title: ''Si Versailles m'était conté'') is a 1954 French-Italian historical drama directed by Sacha Guitry. Described as "a historical film showing Versailles from its beginnings to the present day", it ...

'' - Marivaux *1955: '' Les Grandes manoeuvres'' (directed by

René Clair René Clair (11 November 1898 – 15 March 1981), born René-Lucien Chomette, was a French filmmaker and writer. He first established his reputation in the 1920s as a director of silent films in which comedy was often mingled with fantasy. He wen ...

) - Victor Duverger *1955: ''On ne badine pas avec l'amour'' - Perdican *1958: ''

Maigret tend un piège ''Maigret Sets a Trap'' (French language, French: ''Maigret tend un piège'') is a 1955 detective novel by the Belgians, Belgian novelist Georges Simenon featuring his fictional character Jules Maigret. Plot Maigret sets a trap for a serial kille ...

'' - Marcel Maurin *1958: ''Les Grandes Familles'' (directed by

Denys de La Patellière Denys de La Patellière (8 March 1921 in Nantes, France–21 July 2013) was a French people, French film director and scriptwriter. He also directed Television series. of 92. Filmography as director * 1955 in film, 1955 : ''Les Aristocrate ...

) - François Schoudler *1959: ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

'' ''(Sen noci svatojánské)'' (animation directed by

Jiří Trnka Jiří Trnka (; 24 February 1912 – 30 December 1969) was a Czechs, Czech puppet-maker, illustrator, motion-picture animator and film director. In addition to his extensive career as an illustrator, especially of children's books, he is ...

) - Narrator (French version) (voice) *1959: ''125, rue Montmartre'' - Commissaire Dodelot *1959: ''

Le secret du Chevalier d'Éon ''Le secret du Chevalier d'Éon'' is a 1959 French-Italian film. It stars Andrée Debar and Gabriele Ferzetti. It is loosely based on the life of Chevalier d'Éon Charles-Geneviève-Louis-Auguste-André-Timothée d'Éon de Beaumont or Charlott ...

'' - Louis XV *1960: ''Préméditation'' - Le juge Lenoir *1960: '' The Baron of the Locks'' - Maurice Montbernon *1960: ''

Le Saint mène la danse ''Le Saint mène la danse'' (''The Saint leads the Dance'') also known as ''The Dance of Death'' and ''Le Saint conduit le bal'' (''The Saint leads the Ball'') is a 1960 film featuring Félix Marten as Simon Templar, the crimefighter also known a ...

'' - Fred Pellmann *1960: ''

Love and the Frenchwoman ''Love and the Frenchwoman'' is the US title of a 1960 French anthology film originally entitled ''La française et l'amour''. It starred Jean-Paul Belmondo and Dany Robin. The movie was a big hit in France with admissions of 3,056,736.

'' - Voice of the speaker (segment "Adolescence, L'") *1961: ''Un soir sur la plage'' - Dr. Francis *1961: '' La Mort de Belle'' (directed by Édouard Molinaro) - Stéphane Blanchon *1961: ''Legge di guerra'' - Rade *1961: ''

Famous Love Affairs ''Famous Love Affairs'' (french: Les Amours célèbres, it, Amori celebri) is a 1961 French-Italian anthology film starring Alain Delon, Brigitte Bardot and Jean Paul Belmondo. Cast ''Lauzun'' * Jean-Paul Belmondo as Lauzun * Dany Robin as M ...

'' - Le baron de Jonchère (segment "Comédiennes, Les") *1962: ''

The Seven Deadly Sins The seven deadly sins is a classification of vices used in Christian teachings. Seven deadly sins may also refer to: Art * ''The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things'', a 1485 painting by Hieronymus Bosch * '' The Seven Deadly Sins of Moder ...

'' - Monsieur Duparc - le père de Bernard (segment "Luxure, La") *1962: '' Le Doulos'' (directed by

Jean-Pierre Melville Jean-Pierre Melville (; born Jean-Pierre Grumbach; 20 October 1917 – 2 August 1973) was a French filmmaker and actor. Among his films are ''Le Silence de la mer'' (1949), ''Bob le flambeur'' (1956), '' Le Doulos'' (1962), ''Le Samouraï'' (196 ...

) - Le commissaire Clain *1964: '' Graduation Year'' - M. Terrenoire *1964: ''

The Soft Skin ''The Soft Skin'' (french: La peau douce) is a 1964 French-Portuguese romantic drama film directed by François Truffaut and starring Jean Desailly, Françoise Dorléac, and Nelly Benedetti. Written by Truffaut and Jean-Louis Richard, the film is ...

'' ''(La Peau douce)'' (directed by

François Truffaut François Roland Truffaut ( , ; ; 6 February 1932 – 21 October 1984) was a French film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film critic. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the French New Wave. After a career of more tha ...

) (nominated for the

Golden Palm The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

in 1964; received the '' Bodil Award for Best European Film'' in 1965) - Pierre Lachenay *1965: '' The Two Orphans'' - Le comte de Linières *1966: ''

De Dans van de Reiger '' De Dans van de Reiger '' is a 1966 Dutch film directed by Fons Rademakers. It was adapted by Hugo Claus from his play of the same name. Plot The rich and conservative Edward can not forgive his younger wife who had been unfaithful. She's tr ...

'' - Edouard *1967: ''

The 25th Hour ''The 25th Hour'' is the 2001 debut novel by David Benioff. A film adaptation, for which Benioff wrote the screenplay, was directed by Spike Lee and released in 2002. Background The idea for the book came when Benioff returned home to New York ...

'' - Cabinet Minister *1967: ''Le Franciscain de Bourges'' - Monsieur Toledano *1967: ''La Vie parisienne'' (directed by

Yves-André Hubert Yves-André Hubert is a French actor, television film director and theatre '' metteur en scène''. He received a Sept d'or award in 1988 for '' L'Affaire Marie Besnard''. Filmography * 1961 : ''Youm et les longues moustaches'' * 1962 : '' Les ...

) (television version of 1958 stage production by

) - Raoul de GardefeuYon, Jean-Claude. ''Jacques Offenbach.'' Éditions Gallimard, Paris, 2000, p663. *1970: ''L'ardoise'' - Le commissaire Clair *1971: ''Comptes à rebours'' - Michel St Rose *1972: ''

The Assassination of Trotsky ''The Assassination of Trotsky'' is a 1972 British historical drama film, directed by Joseph Losey with a screenplay by Nicholas Mosley. It stars Richard Burton as Leon Trotsky, as well as Romy Schneider and Alain Delon. Plot Exiled from the ...

'' - Alfred Rosmer *1972: ''

Un flic ''Un flic'' ( en, A Cop; also known as ''Dirty Money'') is a 1972 French crime film, the last directed by Jean-Pierre Melville. It stars Alain Delon, Catherine Deneuve and Richard Crenna. Delon had previously worked with Melville on '' Le Samoura� ...

'' - L'homme distingué *1972-1973: ''

Les Rois maudits ''The Accursed Kings'' (french: Les Rois maudits ) is a series of historical novels by French author Maurice Druon about the French monarchy in the 14th century. Published between 1955 and 1977, the series has been adapted as a miniseries twice ...

'' (TV Mini-Series) - Récitant / Narrator *1973: ''

The Inheritor ''The Inheritor'' (french: L'Héritier) is a 1973 French film starring Jean-Paul Belmondo. Plot Hugo Cordell, media and industrial tycoon, dies when his plane explodes between Geneva and Paris. Examination of the plane's debris cannot establish ...

'' - Jean-Pierre Carnavan *1973: ''

Night Flight from Moscow ''Night Flight from Moscow'' (also known as ''The Serpent'') (French: ''Le Serpent'') is a 1973 French-Italian-West German Cold War spy-thriller film that was produced, cowritten and directed by Henri Verneuil and starred Yul Brynner, Henry Fond ...

'' - Narrator (voice, uncredited) *1974: ' - M. Desvrières *1979: ''Le cavaleur'' - Charles-Edmond *1979: ''Jeu de la barbichette'' - Le directeur de la Police Judiciaire *1979: ''Le mouton noir'' - De Brugères *1980: ''Pile ou face'' - Bourgon-Massenet *1981: ''

Le Professionnel ''The Professional'' (original title: ''Le Professionnel''; ) is a 1981 French action thriller film directed by Georges Lautner. The film stars Jean-Paul Belmondo as the title role. The film is based on award-winning 1976 novel ''Death of a Th ...

'' (won the '' Golden Screen Award'', 1983)"Golden Screen, Germany"
(Retrieved on June 17, 2008) - Le ministre *1984: ''Le fou du roi'' - Louis XIV *1990: ''Équipe de nuit'' - Le père *1990: ''

Le Radeau de la Méduse ''The Raft of the Medusa'' (french: Le Radeau de la Méduse ) – originally titled ''Scène de Naufrage'' (''Shipwreck Scene'') – is an oil painting of 1818–19 by the French Romantic painter and lithographer Théodore Géricault (1791� ...

'' - Tullaye *1999: ''La dilettante'' - Edmond Thibault *2000: ''En face'' - (voice) (final film role)

Awards and nominations

*1960: Nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 1960, for his role in ''

''. *2002: Awarded the ''Molière acting prize''.“French actor Desailly, famed on stage and screen, dies”
MSNBC, 12. Juni 2008 (Retrieved on June 17, 2008)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Desailly, Jean 1920 births 2008 deaths Male actors from Paris Troupe of the Comédie-Française French male stage actors French male film actors French male television actors 20th-century French male actors