Pierre Fresnay
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Pierre Fresnay (4 April 1897 – 9 January 1975) was a French stage and film actor.


Biography

Born Pierre Jules Louis Laudenbach, he was encouraged by his uncle, actor Claude Garry, to pursue a career in theater and film. He joined the company at what later was the Théatre de Paris, only to shortly after at the Conservatoire, becoming a pensionnaire of the
Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...
in early 1915, returning to it after three years military service in 1919.Obituary: Pierre Fresnay. The Times, 11 January 1975. Before his departure from the Comédie-Française in 1926 Fresnay had played 80 parts in Paris, excelling especially in the works of Alfred de Musset. After playing small roles, in 1915 he was engaged as a pensionnaire without taking an audition at the Comédie-Française, moving up to Mario in ''
Le Jeu de l'amour et du hasard ''The Game of Love and Chance'' (french: Le Jeu de l'amour et du hasard) is a three-act romantic comedy by French playwright Marivaux. ''The Game of Love and Chance'' was first performed 23 January 1730 by the Comédie Italienne. In this play ...
'' and the title role in ''
Britannicus Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus (12 February AD 41 – 11 February AD 55), usually called Britannicus, was the son of Roman emperor Claudius and his third wife Valeria Messalina. For a time he was considered his father's heir, but that ...
''. After the armistice he appeared as Clitandre in ''
Les Femmes savantes ''Les Femmes savantes'' (''The Learned Ladies'') is a comedy by Molière in five acts, written in verse. A satire on academic pretension, female education, and préciosité (French for preciousness), it was one of his most popular comedies and ...
'', as well as other juvenile leads. These included Perdican (''
On ne badine pas avec l'amour ''No Trifling with Love'' (french: On ne badine pas avec l'amour) is a 1977 French drama film directed by Caroline Huppert. It is based on the theatrical work of Alfred de Musset of the same name. Plot The piece takes place in the castle of t ...
'' by Musset), Valentin (''Il ne faut jurer de rien'' by Musset, which he also directed), Fortunio (''
Le Chandelier ''Le Chandelier'' is an 1835 play in three acts by French dramatist Alfred de Musset. The play was first published in 1835 in ''Revue des deux Mondes''. It was first staged at the Théâtre Historique in August 1848 with Mademoiselle Maillet a ...
'' by Musset).Pierre Fresnay on the Comédie-Française website
accessed 28 October 2020.
Alongside contemporary creations, his Comédie-Française career continued with '' Chatterton'' (Vigny), becoming a valued member of the troupe due to his intelligent acting, the flexibility of his talent, and quality of his diction ("l'intelligence de son jeu, la souplesse de son talent et l'excellence de sa diction"). Upon leaving the Comédie-Française his stage work was found at the Variétés in Guitry plays, then as Marius in the Pagnol trilogy. During the 1920s, Fresnay appeared in many popular stage productions. In 1927 Marion Fawcett was producing plays at the Theatre Royal in
Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...
in her "International Masterpieces Seasons". She produced a play in which Fresnay delivered his lines in French. The play was "Game As He Played It". He took the title role of
Marcel Pagnol Marcel Paul Pagnol (; 28 February 1895 – 18 April 1974) was a French novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. Regarded as an auteur, in 1946, he became the first filmmaker elected to the Académie française. Although his work is less fashionabl ...
's ''Marius'' (1929), which ran for over 500 performances, also taking this role in the 1931 film adaptation of the play. He reprised the character in the next two parts of Marcel Pagnol's Marseilles Trilogy, '' Fanny'' (1932) and '' César'' (1936).British Film Institute page for Pierre Fresnay
accessed 28 October 2020.
In 1932 Yvonne Printemps's marriage to Sacha Guitry broke up, and Printemps became Fresnay's personal and professional partner. He took over the lead role in Noël Coward's ''
Conversation Piece A conversation piece refers to a group portrait in a domestic or landscape setting depicting persons chatting or otherwise socializing with each other.Abel Gance Abel Gance (; born Abel Eugène Alexandre Péréthon; 25 October 188910 November 1981) was a French film director and producer, writer and actor. A pioneer in the theory and practice of montage, he is best known for three major silent films: ''J ...
's ''La dame aux camélias''. Between then and 1951 they appeared together in eight films. In 1934 he appeared briefly in
Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
's first version of '' The Man Who Knew Too Much''. In 1937, he portrayed the aristocratic French military officer Captain de Boeldieu in
Jean Renoir Jean Renoir (; 15 September 1894 – 12 February 1979) was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. As a film director and actor, he made more than forty films from the silent film, silent era to the end of the 1960s. ...
's masterpiece ''
La Grande Illusion ''La Grande Illusion'' (also known as ''The Grand Illusion'') is a 1937 French war film directed by Jean Renoir, who co-wrote the screenplay with Charles Spaak. The story concerns class relationships among a small group of French officers who ar ...
''. In 1947, he played
Vincent de Paul Vincent de Paul, CM (24 April 1581 – 27 September 1660), commonly known as Saint Vincent de Paul, was a Occitan French Catholic priest who dedicated himself to serving the poor. In 1622 Vincent was appointed a chaplain to the galleys. Afte ...
in ''
Monsieur Vincent ''Monsieur Vincent'' is a 1947 French film about Vincent de Paul, the 17th-century priest and charity worker. It depicts his struggle to help the poor in the face of obstacles such as the Black Death. In 1949, it won an honorary Academy Award as ...
'', for which he won the
Volpi Cup for Best Actor The Volpi Cup for Best Actor ( it, Coppa Volpi per la migliore interpretazione maschile) is the principal award given to actors at the Venice Film Festival and is named in honor of Count Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata, the founder of the Venice Film ...
at the
Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...
. His portrayal was described in ''Sight and Sound'' as "one of the most perfect pieces of work to be seen for many years in any clime". He also portrayed
Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemi ...
laureate
Albert Schweitzer Ludwig Philipp Albert Schweitzer (; 14 January 1875 – 4 September 1965) was an Alsatian-German/French polymath. He was a theologian, organist, musicologist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician. A Lutheran minister, Schweit ...
in '' Il est minuit, Docteur Schweitzer'' (1952). ''La Valse de Paris'' gave Fresnay the chance to play in a "stylised musical" as a "delightful, lightly caricatured portrayal of Offenbach", alongside Printemps.


Soldier

A soldier in the
French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...
during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, he returned to his career a hero. However, under the
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
occupation of
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 ...
, he worked for the Franco-German film company Continental, making Henri-Georges Clouzot's ''
Le Corbeau ''Le Corbeau'' () is a 1943 French film directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot and starring Pierre Fresnay, Micheline Francey and Pierre Larquey. The film is about a French town where a number of citizens receive anonymous letters containing libelou ...
'' and other films. Fresnay's appearances in films produced by German film company Continental during the war, especially ''Le Corbeau'', caused his summons, brief imprisonment, and condemnation by a purge tribunal after the liberation. Despite the parallels between the poison-pen letters in ''Le Corbeau'' (in which he played the leading role) and the widespread letters of denunciation in Occupied France, Clouzot's film was banned in France for more than 20 years.


Later years

Printemps and Fresnay starred in Oscar Straus's ''Drei Waltzer'', given in French as ''Trois valses'' on the Parisian stage and on film ('' Les trois valses''). The critic
Richard Traubner Richard Traubner (November 24, 1946 – February 25, 2013) was an American journalist, author, operetta scholar and historian, and lecturer on theatre and (mostly musical) film. His best-known book, ''Operetta: A Theatrical History'', was first p ...
commented in 2006 that because of the performances of Printemps and Fresnay the film still "hangs over anyone who dares revive the operetta on stage". As well as theatre work covering 130 plays, he appeared in over 70 films, some still classics, and at the end of his life on television such as '' Le Neveu de Rameau''. In 1954, he published his memoirs, ''Je suis comédien'' (Eng. ''I am an actor''). Fresnay continued to perform regularly in film and on stage through to the 1960s. In the 1970s, he appeared in a few films for television. From then on, he lived with the French actress and singer
Yvonne Printemps Yvonne Printemps (; born Yvonne Wigniolle; 25 July 1894 – 19 January 1977) was a French singer and actress who achieved stardom on stage and screen in France and internationally. Printemps went on the stage in Paris at the age of 12, and ...
for the rest of his life, co-directing the
Théâtre de la Michodière The Théâtre de la Michodière is a theatre building and performing arts venue, located at 4 bis, in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris. Built by in 1925 in Art Deco style, it has a tradition of showing boulevard theatre. History On the si ...
in Paris with her until his death in 1975.


Death

He died of respiratory problems, aged 77, on 9 January 1975, at
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 ...
and he is interred alongside Printemps in the local cemetery. In his autobiography (''My Name Escapes Me''),
Alec Guinness Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. After an early career on the stage, Guinness was featured in several of the Ealing comedies, including ''Kind Hearts and Coronets'' (194 ...
states that Fresnay was his favourite actor.Guinness, Alec (1998) ''My Name Escapes Me: The Diary of a Retiring Actor'', p. 65, Penguin,


Other

Asked how to say his name, he told ''The
Literary Digest ''The Literary Digest'' was an influential American general interest weekly magazine published by Funk & Wagnalls. Founded by Isaac Kaufmann Funk in 1890, it eventually merged with two similar weekly magazines, ''Public Opinion'' and '' Current ...
'' "I think my name is to be pronounced ''fray-nay''. At least, it is the way I pronounce it." (
Charles Earle Funk Charles Earle Funk (1881–1957) was an American lexicographer. He was a member of the Funk family who owned the publisher Funk & Wagnalls; Dr. Isaac Funk was his uncle. Funk wrote several etymological dictionaries An etymological dictionary d ...
, ''What's the Name, Please?'', Funk & Wagnalls, 1936).


Filmography


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fresnay, Pierre 1897 births 1975 deaths Male actors from Paris French male film actors French male silent film actors French male stage actors Sociétaires of the Comédie-Française French military personnel of World War I Order of the Francisque recipients Volpi Cup for Best Actor winners 20th-century French male actors Burials at Neuilly-sur-Seine community cemetery