Roger Duchesne (27 July 1906,

Luxeuil-les-Bains Luxeuil-les-Bains () is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. History Luxeuil (sometimes rendered Luxeu in older texts) was the Roman Luxovium and contained many fine buildings a ...

Haute-Saône Haute-Saône (; Arpitan: ''Hiôta-Sona''; English: Upper Saône) is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of northeastern France. Named after the river Saône, it had a population of 235,313 in 2019.film actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

. He appeared in 30 films between 1934 and 1957, but is best remembered for playing the lead in ''

Bob le flambeur ''Bob le flambeur'' (English translation": "Bob the Gambler" or "Bob the High Roller") is a 1956 French heist gangster film directed by Jean-Pierre Melville and starring Roger Duchesne as Bob. It is often considered both a film noir and a pre ...

'' (1956). He was the first husband of French film actress

Yvette Lebon Yvette Lebon (14 August 1910 – 28 July 2014) was a French actress. Biography Lebon studied music and art before going into acting. During World War II, she was the mistress of Jean Luchaire, a French journalist and press baron executed after ...

. Controversy surrounds Duchesne for activities during the German occupation of France during World War II. A 1985 history of French cinema during the war, citing a French film historian, states that Duchesne had been among three film workers who suffered "serious sanctions" for wartime activities on behalf of the German occupiers; he "was suspected of working for the Gestapo." According to a 2019 review of the Kino-released DVD of ''Bob le flambeur,'' a featurette on the disc informs that the actor's "gambling debts caught the attentions of the Nazis during the Occupation, and Duchesne became a collaborator, actively participating in the torture of at least one member of the French Resistance." Not surprisingly, the review notes ''Bob le flambeu''r was Duchesne's first film since the war and he only appeared in one more thereafter. Film director Jean-Pierre Melville, ironically himself a Jewish member of the French Resistance during the war, recruited Duchesne for ''Bob le flambeur.'' According to one account, the actor had been prohibited from working by the postwar purge ("epuration") of collaborators. "Duchesne robbed a bank of 800 million francs--the same sum Bob tries to steal n the filmin Deauville--then cooled his heels in prison writing adventure novels. When Melville tracked him down, he was selling scrap metal in Saint-Ouen."

Selected filmography

* ''

Savage Brigade ''Savage Brigade'' (French: ''La Brigade sauvage'') is a 1939 French drama film directed by Marcel L'Herbier and starring Véra Korène, Charles Vanel and Florence Marly. The film was completed by Jean Dréville.Fanfare of Love ''Fanfare of Love'' (French: ''Fanfare d'amour'') is a 1935 French comedy film directed by Richard Pottier and starring Fernand Gravey, Betty Stockfeld and Julien Carette.Ginsberg & Mensch p.403 The film's art direction was by Max Heilbronner. Th ...

'' (1935) * '' Seven Men, One Woman'' (1936) * ''

Conflict Conflict may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Conflict'' (1921 film), an American silent film directed by Stuart Paton * ''Conflict'' (1936 film), an American boxing film starring John Wayne * ''Conflict'' (1937 film) ...

'' (1938) * '' Storm Over Asia'' (1938) * ''

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'' (1938) * ''

Immediate Call ''Immediate Call'' (French: ''Rappel immédiat'') is a 1939 French comedy drama film directed by Léon Mathot and starring Mireille Balin, Roger Duchesne and Bernard Lancret.Lennig p.392 Cast * Mireille Balin as Helen Wells * Roger Duchesne as ...

'' (1939) * ''

The Lost Woman ''The Lost Woman'' (Spanish: ''La mujer perdida'') is a 1966 drama film directed by Tulio Demicheli and starring Sara Montiel, Giancarlo Del Duca and Massimo Serato.King & Torrents p.138 It was a co-production between France, Italy and Spain. T ...

'' (1942) * '' The Guardian Angel'' (1942) * '' Jeannou'' (1943) * '' Adrien'' (1943) * ''

'' (1956)

References

1906 births 1996 deaths People from Luxeuil-les-Bains French male film actors 20th-century French male actors {{France-film-actor-stub