Claude Brasseur (15 June 1936 – 22 December 2020) was a French actor.

Life and career

Claude Brasseur was born in

Neuilly-sur-Seine Neuilly-sur-Seine (; literally 'Neuilly on Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is a commune in the department of Hauts-de-Seine in France, just west of Paris. Immediately adjacent to the city, the area is composed of mostly select residentia ...

as Claude Pierre Espinasse, the son of actor

Pierre Brasseur Pierre Brasseur (22 December 1905 – 16 August 1972), born Pierre-Albert Espinasse, was a French actor. Biography The son of actors Georges Espinasse and Germaine Brasseur, the latter a cousin of Albert Brasseur; his grandfather, Jules Br ...

and actress

Odette Joyeux Odette Joyeux (5 December 1914 – 26 August 2000) was a French actress, playwright and novelist. Biography She was born in Paris, where she studied dance at the Paris Opera Ballet before taking the stage. Joyeux started her film career in 19 ...

. He was the godson of

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...

and the father of

Alexandre Brasseur Alexandre Brasseur (born Alexandre Espinasse; 29 March 1971) is a French actor. He was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, the son of actor Claude Brasseur, the grandson of actor Pierre Brasseur and actress Odette Joyeux and great-grandson of Jules Bras ...

. He was a member of the French

bobsleigh Bobsleigh or bobsled is a team winter sport that involves making timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sleigh. International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Feder ...

team in the 60s and also a winning

Paris-Dakar rally The Dakar Rally (or simply "The Dakar"; formerly known as the "Paris–Dakar Rally") is an annual rally raid organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation. Most events since the inception in 1978 were staged from Paris, France, to Dakar, Senegal, ...

competitor, as co-pilot of

Jacky Ickx Jacques Bernard "Jacky" Ickx (; born 1 January 1945) is a Belgian former racing driver who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans six times (second-highest of all time) and achieved eight wins and 25 podium finishes in Formula One. He greatly contributed ...

. From the late 1950s until two years before his death, Brasseur appeared in overall 150 film and television productions. One of his film roles was as Arthur in

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� ...

's '' Bande à part'' (1964). Brasseur played the title role in the early 1970s historical crime television series ''

The New Adventures of Vidocq ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

''. A big commercial success were the comedies ''

La Boum ''La Boum'' (English title: ''The Party'' or ''Ready for Love'') is a 1980 French teen romantic comedy film directed by Claude Pinoteau and starring Sophie Marceau, appearing in her film début. Written by Danièle Thompson and Pinoteau, the film ...

'' (1980) and ''

La Boum 2 ''La Boum 2'' is a 1982 French teen romantic comedy film directed by Claude Pinoteau and starring Claude Brasseur, Brigitte Fossey, and Sophie Marceau. Written by Danièle Thompson and Claude Pinoteau, the film is about a girl who falls in love wit ...

'' (1982), in which he played the father of

Sophie Marceau Sophie Marceau (; born Sophie Danièle Sylvie Maupu, 17 November 1966) is a French actress. As a teenager, she achieved popularity with her debut films ''La Boum'' (1980) and ''La Boum 2'' (1982), receiving a César Award for Most Promising Act ...

's teenage character. He died on 22 December 2020, at the age of 84.Claude Brasseur est mort

Accolades

Selected filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brasseur, Claude 1936 births 2020 deaths People from Neuilly-sur-Seine Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur French male bobsledders French rally drivers French male stage actors French rally co-drivers French male film actors French male television actors Best Actor César Award winners Best Supporting Actor César Award winners 20th-century French male actors 21st-century French male actors Sportspeople from Hauts-de-Seine