Élie Kakou (born 12 January 1960 in Nabeul– died 10 June 1999; real name Alain Kakou) was a

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

n- French actor and stand-up comedian. He is known for his portrayal of the character Madame Sarfati, a parody of Sephardi Jewish mothers. He died of lung cancer at the age of 39 in Paris.

Biography

Alain Kakou comes from a

Sephardic Jews Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...

family. His father, Joseph, came from

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

. He was a non-commissioned officer in the

French Armed Forces The French Armed Forces (, ) are the military forces of France. They consist of four military branches – the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force, and the National Gendarmerie. The National Guard serves as the French Armed Forces' milita ...

. His mother, Suzy, née Valensi, comes from Nabeul and is of

History of the Jews in Italy The history of the Jews in Italy spans more than two thousand years to the present. The Jewish presence in Italy dates to the pre-Christian Roman period and has continued, despite periods of extreme persecution and expulsions, until the prese ...

origin. His parents lived for a few more years in Nabeul, where Élie Kakou was born, before emigrating to

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

in the Five Avenues district. He has six brothers and sisters, including Nadine, Danièle, Brigitte, Michèle and Charles. He attended the Lycée Saint-Charles in Marseille, where he rubbed shoulders with Bruno Gilles. Having received a Jewish education both in his family and in his youth movement,

Hashomer Hatzair Hashomer Hatzair (, , 'The Young Guard') is a Labor Zionism, Labor Zionist, secular Jewish youth movement founded in 1913 in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, Austria-Hungary. It was also the name of the Hashomer Hatzair Workers Party, the ...

, he left for

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

and did his

Conscription in Israel Since the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948, fixed-term military service has been compulsory in Israel. The draft laws of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) only apply to Jews (males and females), Druze (males only), and Circassians (mal ...

. He took his first steps at

Club Med Club Med SAS, commonly known as Club Med and previously known as Club Méditerranée SA, is a French travel and tourism operator headquartered in Paris, specializing in all-inclusive holidays. Founded in 1950, the company has been primarily ow ...

, then on the small stage of the Marseilles restaurant-cabaret La Payotte, founded by the singer Joyeux de Cocotier and his partner Élisabeth Meissirel. At the same time, he studied

Dental technician A dental technician is a member of the dental team who, upon prescription from a dental clinician, constructs custom-made restorative and dental appliances. There are four major disciplines within dental technology. These are ''fixed prosthesis ...

and obtained his diploma. France discovered him in 1991 in the TV show La Classe on FR3. In 1992, he made a serious debut at the Point-Virgule theater in Paris. He had spotted its director, Marie-Caroline Burnat, two years earlierref, and took part twice in the Enfoirés evening (in 1993 and 1995), bringing to the show his humor and whimsical characters such as the

Press secretary A press secretary or press officer is a senior advisor who provides advice on how to deal with the news media and, using news management techniques, helps their employer to maintain a positive public image and avoid negative media coverage. Dutie ...

, always ready to say to the audience: “Well then... It's a comedy show: you've got to laugh.” Kakou was nominated for a Victoires de la Musique award in February 1995 in the “Best Comedian” category. His colorful shows were great successes:

Olympia (Paris) The Olympia (; commonly known as L'Olympia or in the English-speaking world as Olympia Hall) is a concert venue in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, 9th arrondissement of Paris, France, located at 28 Boulevard des Capucines, equally distancing La ...

, Zenith and

Cirque d'hiver The Cirque d'Hiver ("Winter Circus"), located at 110 rue Amelot (at the juncture of the rue des Filles du Calvaire and rue Amelot, Paris 11th arrondissement of Paris, 11ème), has been a prominent venue for circuses, exhibitions of dressage, musica ...

in Paris (the last of his career). He is best known for his main character

Stereotypes of Jews Stereotypes of Jews are generalized representations of Jews, often caricatured and of a prejudiced and antisemitic nature. Reproduced common objects, phrases, and traditions are used to emphasize or ridicule Jewishness. This includes the compla ...

, a caricature of the Tunisian Jewish mother. Shortly before his death, he embarked on a film career, appearing in 1997 in Thomas Gilou's Would I Lie to You? (film) as Rafi Styl'mode.

Filmography

* ''

La Vérité si je mens! ''La Vérité si je mens !'' ( ; English title: ''Would I Lie to You?'') is a 1997 French film, directed by . It was followed by a sequel, '' La Vérité si je mens ! 2'', in 2001, and a third movie ', in 2012. Plot In Paris, Eddie Vuibert ( Ric ...

'' (1997) * ' (1998) * ''Sex, Sacrifice and Submission'' (1998) * ' (1999) * ' (1999)

References

1960 births 1999 deaths Deaths from lung cancer in France French male film actors French humorists 20th-century Tunisian Jews Jewish French male actors People from Nabeul 20th-century French male actors French male writers 20th-century French male writers French male comedians Turkish male comedians Jewish French comedians Jewish male comedians {{France-film-actor-1960s-stub