Robert Lynen (24 May 1920 in Nermier, France – 1 April 1944 in

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

) was a French actor. A child star of French cinema, he joined the French Resistance during his country's occupation during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, was arrested and deported to Germany, and shot by a

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

firing squad Execution by firing squad, in the past sometimes called fusillading (from the French ''fusil'', rifle), is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war. Some reasons for its use are that firearms are us ...

after repeated escape attempts.

Acting career

Lynen was born on 24 May 1920 in Nermier and spent the first years of his life in his native Jura, where his parents raised animals. In 1923, his family moved to Paris where his father became a draftsman. Being from an artistic family (his father painted and his mother was a singer and pianist), he was noticed at age 12 by filmmaker

Julien Duvivier Julien Duvivier (; 8 October 1896 – 29 October 1967) was a French film director and screenwriter. He was prominent in French cinema in the years 1930–1960. Amongst his most original films, chiefly notable are ''La Bandera (film), La Bandera'', ...

while he was studying at the École du Spectacle. After some tests, he was cast for the lead role of ''

Poil de carotte ''Poil de carotte'' (En: ''Carrot Head'' or ''Carrot Top'') is a long short story or autobiographical novel by Jules Renard published in 1894 which recounts the childhood and the trials of a redheaded child. It is probably in this miserable child ...

'' (1932) with

Harry Baur Harry Baur (12 April 1880 – 8 April 1943) was a French actor. Initially a stage actor, Baur appeared in about 80 films between 1909 and 1942. He gave an acclaimed performance as the composer Ludwig van Beethoven in the biopic ''Beethoven's Gr ...

. Following the film's public success, Lynen became the child star of French cinema. He played Rémi in the 1934 film adaptation of

Hector Malot Hector-Henri Malot (Hector Malot) (20 May 1830 – 18 July 1907) was a French writer born in La Bouille, Seine-Maritime. He studied law in Rouen and Paris, but eventually literature became his passion. He worked as a dramatic critic for ''Lloyd Fra ...

's novel, '' Sans Famille''. In 1937, he acted in

Robert Siodmak Robert Siodmak (; 8 August 1900 – 10 March 1973) was a German film director who also worked in the United States. He is best remembered as a thriller specialist and for a series of films noirs he made in the 1940s, such as ''The Killers'' (19 ...

's movie ''

Mollenard ''Mollenard'' is a 1938 French drama film directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Harry Baur, Gabrielle Dorziat and Pierre Renoir. It was also known by the alternative titles of ''Hatred'' and ''Capitaine Corsaire''. The film's sets were designed ...

'', then in ''Le Fraudeur'' by Léopold Simons. At age 18, he played Alphonse Daudet's ''Le Petit Chose'' for

Maurice Cloche Maurice Cloche (17 June 1907, Commercy, Meuse – 23 March 1990, Bordeaux, France) was a French film director, screenwriter, photographer and film producer. Best known for his Oscar-winning film ''Monsieur Vincent'' (1947) he won a 1948 Special Ac ...

, then ''La vie est magnifique'' with the same filmmaker.

World War II

In 1940, at age 20, he acted in ''Espoirs'' 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) * ''Le ...

, before being sent to a Vichy-sponsored youth camp, where he joined the

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

, becoming a second lieutenant in the French Forces network ''Alliance''. In 1941, he went on a theater tour and acted in his last film ''Cap au large'' by Jean-Paul Paulin. He performed many missions before being arrested by the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...

Cassis Cassis (; Occitan: ''Cassís'') is a commune situated east of Marseille in the department of Bouches-du-Rhône in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, whose coastline is known in English as the French Riviera, in Southern France. In 2016, it ...

, on 7 February 1943. He was tortured and deported to Germany. After several months in prison, and two escape attempts, he was sentenced to death by a military tribunal and executed, with 14 other Resistance members, on 1 April 1944 in

, at the age of 23. When his body, which had been buried in a common grave, was repatriated to France in 1947, it was reburied in the military section of the Gentilly cemetery.''Vie et mort de Poil de Carotte'', François Charles, ed. La Nuée bleue, p.94

Filmography

* '' The Red Head'' (1932) as Poil de carotte * '' Le Petit Roi'' (1933) as Michel VIII * ''Sans famille'' (1934) as Rémy * ''

La Belle Équipe ''They Were Five'' (French: ''La belle équipe'') is a 1936 French drama film directed by Julien Duvivier and starring Jean Gabin, Charles Vanel, and Viviane Romance. It tells the story of five unemployed workers who win the jackpot in the nat ...

'' (1936) as René * ''

Life Dances On ''Life Dances On'' or ''Christine'' or ''Dance Program'' (French: ''Un carnet de bal'') is a 1937 French drama film directed by Julien Duvivier and starring Marie Bell, Françoise Rosay and Louis Jouvet. It was partly shot at the Neuilly Studio ...

'' (1937) as Jacques Dambreval * ''

The Man of the Hour ''The Man of the Hour'' (French: ''L'homme du jour'') is a 1937 French musical film directed by Julien Duvivier and starring Maurice Chevalier, Elvire Popesco and Josette Day.Mazdon & Wheatley p.35 The film was shot at the Joinville Studios, w ...

'' (1937) as Milo * ''Le Fraudeur'' (1937) as Theo * ''Éducation de prince'' (1938) as Prince Sacha * '' The Little Thing'' (1938) as Daniel Eyssette * ''

'' (1938) as Jean Mollenard * ''La vie est magnifique'' (1938) * ''Espoirs'' (1941) as Pierre Martin * ''Cap au large'' (1942) as Zizou

Bibliography

* Holmstrom, John. ''The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995'', Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, p. 104-105.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lynen, Robert 1920 births 1944 deaths French male film actors French male child actors French Resistance members People executed by Nazi Germany by firing squad People from Lons-le-Saunier Executed people from Franche-Comté People from Jura (department) Male actors from Paris French people executed by Nazi Germany Resistance members killed by Nazi Germany 20th-century French male actors