Pierre Tornade (21 January 1930 – 7 March 2012) was a French actor. He appeared in more than 120 films and television shows between 1956 and 1998.
Biography
He was born Pierre Tournadre on 21 January 1930 in
Bort-les-Orgues
Bort-les-Orgues (; oc, Bòrt) is a commune in the Corrèze department in central France.
Geography
Bort-les-Orgues is situated on the Dordogne.
The river Rhue forms part of the commune's southeastern border, then flows into the Dordogne. ...
in the department of
Corrèze
Corrèze (; oc, Corresa) is a department in France, named after the river Corrèze which runs through it. Although its prefecture is Tulle, its most populated city is Brive-la-Gaillarde. Corrèze is located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, ...
. He began his theatrical career at 25 in ''Elle est folle, Carole'' at the
théâtre du Palais-Royal
The Théâtre du Palais-Royal () is a 750-seat Parisian theatre at 38 rue de Montpensier, located at the northwest corner of the Palais-Royal in the Galerie de Montpensier at its intersection with the Galerie de Beaujolais.
Brief history
...
. In 1956, he played in the musical comedy ''Irma la douce'' by
Alexandre Breffort
Alexandre Breffort (1901–1971) was a French screenwriter.
Selected filmography
* '' Follow That Man'' (1953)
1901 births
1971 deaths
French male screenwriters
20th-century French screenwriters
20th-century French male writers
{ ...
and
Marguerite Monnot
Marguerite Monnot (28 May 1903 – 12 October 1961) was a French songwriter and composer best known for having written many of the songs performed by Édith Piaf ("Milord", " Hymne à l'amour") and for the music in the stage musical '' Irma La ...
and then made his film debut in ''
Les Truands
''Les Truands'' is a French comedy film starring Eddie Constantine directed by Carlo Rim. For English-speaking audiences it was renamed as ''Lock Up Your Spoons'' respectively ''The Gangsters''.
Synopsis
This is the story of racketeer Amédée ...
'', where he adopted his stage name, Tornade. The next year, he played a theater role in ''
Pericles, Prince of Tyre
''Pericles, Prince of Tyre'' is a Jacobean play written at least in part by William Shakespeare and included in modern editions of his collected works despite questions over its authorship, as it was not included in the First Folio. It was p ...
'' before joining the Branquignols troupe of
Robert Dhéry
Robert Dhéry (27 April 1921 – 3 December 2004) (born Robert Léon Henri Fourrey or Robert Foullcy) was a French comedian, actor, director and screenwriter.
He was married to actor Colette Brosset, with whom he appeared onstage in ''La Plume d ...
, which also included
Jean Lefebvre
Jean Marcel Lefebvre (3 October 1919Some sources indicate he was born in 1922. – 9 July 2004) was a French film actor.
His erratic studies were interrupted by World War II. Taken prisoner and then requisitioned as a laborer, he escaped to joi ...
,
Michel Serrault
Michel Serrault (24 January 1928 – 29 July 2007) was a French stage and film actor who appeared from 1954 until 2007 in more than 130 films.
Life and career
His first professional job was in a touring production in Germany of Molière's '' Les ...
and
Micheline Dax
Micheline Dax (3 March 1924 – 27 April 2014) was a French film and stage actress and singer. She did the voice to Ursula in the French dub in Disney's "The Little Mermaid".
The Paris-born actress was born Micheline Josette Renée Etevenon. Sh ...
.
He then became very demanded on television and appeared in several sitcoms such as '' Thierry la Fronde'' (1963), ''Le Chevalier d'Harmental'' (1966), ''Les Sept de l'escalier quinze B'' (1967) and ''Les Dossiers de l'agence O'' (1968). Because of his tall and imposing stature, he often appeared as a policeman or a soldier. His most famous roles were the father's victim in ''
The Common Man
The Common Man is a cartoon character created by Indian author and cartoonist R. K. Laxman. For over a half of a century, the Common Man has represented the hopes, aspirations, troubles and perhaps even foibles of the average Indian, through a ...
'' (1975), Captain Dumont in the series '' Now Where Did the 7th Company Get to?'' (1973) and commissioner Florimond Faroux in the series ''Nestor Burma''.
A famous voice actor, he moonlighted as village chief Vitalstatistix in animated films '' Asterix le Gaul'' (1967), ''
Asterix and Cleopatra
''Asterix and Cleopatra'' is the sixth book in the Asterix album series by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. It was first published in serial form in ''Pilote'' magazine, issues 215–257, in 1963.
Synopsis
The book begins with an argument b ...
'' (1968) and ''
The Twelve Tasks of Asterix
''The Twelve Tasks of Asterix'' (''Les Douze travaux d'Astérix'') is a 1976 Belgian/French animated feature film based on the ''Asterix'' comic book series, and the third in the animated franchise. René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, the crea ...
'' (1976). He later voiced Averell Dalton in
Lucky Luke
''Lucky Luke'' is a Western ''bande dessinée'' series created by Belgian cartoonist Morris in 1946. Morris wrote and drew the series single-handedly until 1955, after which he started collaborating with French writer René Goscinny. Their par ...
La Ballade des Dalton
''La Ballade des Dalton'' (aka ''The Ballad of the Daltons'' in English) is a 1978 French animated film written and directed by René Goscinny, Morris, Henri Gruel and Pierre Watrin starring the comic book character Lucky Luke. Two different ...
'' (1978) and ''Lucky Luke the Lucky Cowboy'' (1983). He also voiced Obelix in four other animated films of Asterix, these include ''
Asterix Versus Caesar
''Asterix Versus Caesar'' (also known in France as ''Astérix et la surprise de César'') is a 1985 French–Belgian animated adventure comedy film written by René Goscinny, Albert Uderzo and Pierre Tchernia, and directed by Paul and Gaëtan Br ...
Asterix and the Big Fight
''Asterix and the Big Fight'' is a French comic book, the seventh in the Asterix comic book series. It was written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. Its original French title is ''Le Combat des chefs'' ("The Battle of the Chief ...
'' (1989) and ''
Asterix Conquers America
''Asterix Conquers America'' (in France as ''Astérix et les Indiens''; in Germany as ''Asterix in Amerika'') is a 1994 German animated film, directed by , and co-produced by Hahn and . The film is a loose adaptation of the ''Asterix'' graphic no ...
'' (1994).
He was named Chevalier (Knight) of the National Order of Merit in 1996. Tornade died on 7 March 2012 in Rambouillet hospital after several days in a coma. He had fallen accidentally in the stairway of his