John Abbey (born June 21, 1935) is an American born actor best known for portraying the title role in the French film ''

Mr. Freedom ''Mr. Freedom'' is a 1968 superhero film by the expatriate American photographer and filmmaker William Klein (photographer), William Klein. An anti-imperialist satirical farce, it concerns the exploits of the titular white nationalist superhero ...

'', directed by fellow American

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...

William Klein. Born in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

in 1935, Abbey appeared in a few uncredited roles in American and English films before coming to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, where he played American characters in film and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

throughout the 1960s and 1970s. He has since retired from acting. He spoke fluent French as well. In addition to ''Mr. Freedom'', Abbey is known for his supporting role as Mr Lacs in

Jacques Tati Jacques Tati (; born Jacques Tatischeff, ; 9 October 1907 – 5 November 1982) was a French mime, film-maker, actor and screenwriter. In an ''Entertainment Weekly'' poll of the Greatest Movie Directors, he was voted the 46th greatest of all time ...

's 1967 film ''

Playtime ''Playtime'' (stylized as ''PlayTime'' and also written as ''Play Time'') is a 1967 comedy film directed by Jacques Tati. In the film, Tati again plays Monsieur Hulot, the popular character who had central roles in his earlier films ''Les Vacanc ...

''.John Abbey filmography
''New York Times'' accessed 2010-03-24

References

External links

* 1935 births American expatriate male actors in France Living people American expatriate male actors in the United Kingdom {{France-screen-actor-stub