Fernand Joseph Désiré Contandin (8 May 1903 – 26 February 1971), better known as Fernandel, was a French actor and singer. Born near

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

, France, to Désirée Bedouin and Denis Contandin, originating in

Perosa Argentina Perosa Argentina (French: Pérouse) is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northwest of Turin, in the val Chisone. Perosa Argentina borders the following municipalities: Co ...

, an Occitan town located in the

province of Turin The former Province of Turin ( it, Provincia di Torino; pms, Provinsa ëd Turin; french: Province de Turin) was a province in the Piedmont region of Italy. Its capital was the city of Turin. The province existed until 31 December 2014, when it wa ...

, Italy. He was a comedy star who first gained popularity in French

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its ...

s, and

music-hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in ...

revues. His

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

originated from his marriage to Henriette Manse, the sister of his best friend and frequent cinematic collaborator

Jean Manse Jean Manse (1899–1967) was a French screenwriter.Klossner p.111 He was the brother of Henriette Manse, and brother-in-law of Fernandel with whom he frequently collaborated. He was also a lyricist, working with composer Henri Betti on the hit Chri ...

. So attentive was he to his wife that his mother-in-law amusingly referred to him as ''Fernand d'elle'' ("Fernand of her").

Biography

In 1930, Fernandel appeared in his first

motion picture A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

and for more than forty years he would be France's top comic actor. He was perhaps best loved for his portrayal of the irascible Italian village priest at war with the town's Communist mayor in the ''

Don Camillo Don Camillo () and Peppone () are the fictional protagonists of a series of works by the Italian writer and journalist Giovannino Guareschi set in what Guareschi refers to as the "small world" of rural Italy after World War II. Most of the Don Ca ...

'' series of motion pictures. His horse-like teeth became part of his trademark. He also appeared in Italian and American films. His first

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

motion picture was 1956's ''

Around the World in 80 Days ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' (french: link=no, Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours) is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employe ...

'' in which he played

David Niven James David Graham Niven (; 1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983) was a British actor, soldier, memoirist, and novelist. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Major Pollock in '' Separate Tables'' (1958). Niven's other roles ...

's coachman. His popular performance in that film led to his starring with

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with ...

and

Anita Ekberg Kerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg (; 29 September 193111 January 2015) was a Swedish actress active in American and European films, known for her beauty and stunning figure. She became prominent in her iconic role as Sylvia in the Federico Fellini ...

in the 1958 comedy '' Paris Holiday''. In addition to acting, Fernandel also directed or co-produced several of his own films. His profile was raised in Britain by the 60s TV advertisements for

Dubonnet Dubonnet (, , ) is a sweet, aromatised wine-based quinquina, often enjoyed as an aperitif. It is a blend of fortified wine, herbs, and spices (including a small amount of quinine), with fermentation being stopped by the addition of alcohol. ...

in which he would say "''Do 'Ave A Dubonnet''" Fernandel died from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, mali ...

and is buried in the Cimetière de Passy, Paris, France.

Family

He had two daughters, Josette (1926) and Janine (1930), and son Franck (1935). His son, known as

Franck Fernandel Franck Fernandel (born Franck Gérard Ignace Contandin; 10 December 1935 – 8 June 2011) was a French actor, singer and songwriter, and writer. Biography Franck was the only son of three children born to the famous French actor Fernandel. He a ...

, became an actor and a singer. Franck acted alongside his father in two films,

Gilles Grangier Gilles Grangier (5 May 1911 – 27 April 1996) was a French film director and screenwriter. He directed more than 50 films and several TV series between 1943 and 1985. His film ''Archimède le clochard'' was entered into the 9th Berlin Inter ...

's ''

L'Âge ingrat ''That Tender Age'' (French: ''L'Âge ingrat''), is a 1964 French comedy film directed by Gilles Grangier that unites two major stars in Jean Gabin and Fernandel.Oscherwitz & Higgins p.163 It recounts how two families are drawn together by an eng ...

'' and Georges Bianchi's '' En avant la musique''.

Literature

In '' The Stranger'' by

Albert Camus Albert Camus ( , ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, and journalist. He was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. His work ...

, Meursault and his female friend Marie Cordona watch a movie starring Fernandel on the day after the funeral of Meursault's mother. According to Meursault, "The movie was funny in parts, but otherwise it was just too stupid."https://bxscience.edu/ourpages/auto/2019/2/28/69275970/The%20Stranger%20-%20Albert%20Camus.pdf

Filmography

Selected discography

* "

Félicie aussi "Félicie aussi" is a 1939 song performed by Fernandel. Of the 300 songs he sang on stage during his career, it is undoubtedly his most famous. Writing and composition The song was written by Albert Willemetz (who penned the lyrics for such song ...

" (1939)

References

External links

*
Fernandel singing 'Les gens riaient'

Fernandel by Diggi
{{Authority control French comedians French comedy musicians Deaths from lung cancer in France 1903 births 1971 deaths Burials at Passy Cemetery Knights of the Ordre national du Mérite Nastro d'Argento winners Male actors from Marseille People of Piedmontese descent French male stage actors French male film actors French male television actors 20th-century French male actors 20th-century French musicians 20th-century French comedians