Benoît Ferreux (; born 29 September 1955) is a French film, television and stage actor who is possibly best recalled internationally for his role in the 1971 film '' Murmur of the Heart''.BBC.com. Film & Drama.
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Career as a child actor

Benoît Ferreux was born in

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

. In early 1970, at age 14, he was cast to appear in director

Louis Malle Louis Marie Malle (; 30 October 1932 – 23 November 1995) was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in both French cinema and Hollywood. Described as "eclectic" and "a filmmaker difficult to pin down", Malle made document ...

's 1971 coming-of-age drama ''Murmur of the Heart'' (). Set in 1954, Ferreux played Laurent Chevalier, a boy living in

Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...

who is coming to terms with his burgeoning sexuality and his close relationship with his Italian mother Clara (portrayed by

Lea Massari Anna Maria Massetani (born 30 June 1933), known professionally as Lea Massari, is an Italian actress and singer. Massetani was born in Rome and studied architecture in Switzerland. She adopted her stage name at the age of 22, after the sudden ...

), which ultimately leads to an incestuous liaison at a

sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, is a historic name for a specialised hospital for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments, and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often in a health ...

where he is being treated for a

heart murmur Heart murmurs are unique heart sounds produced when blood flows across a heart valve or blood vessel. This occurs when turbulent blood flow creates a sound loud enough to hear with a stethoscope. The sound differs from normal heart sounds by th ...

. The film was selected for competition at the 1971

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

. The same year, Ferreux appeared alongside actors

Catherine Deneuve Catherine Fabienne Dorléac (born 22 October 1943), known professionally as Catherine Deneuve (, , ), is a French actress. She is considered one of the greatest European actresses on film. In 2020, ''The New York Times'' ranked her as one of th ...

and

Marcello Mastroianni Marcello Vincenzo Domenico Mastroianni (26 September 1924Come da lui stesso dichiarato a 1'10" dquesta intervista/ref> – 19 December 1996) was an Italian actor. He is generally regarded as one of Italy's most iconic male performers of the 20t ...

in the

Nadine Trintignant Nadine Trintignant ( Marquand; born 11 November 1934) is a French filmmaker and novelist. She is known for making films that surround the topic of family and relationships, such as ''Ça n'arrive qu'aux autres'' and ''Next Summer (film), L'été ...

directed drama '' It Only Happens to Others'' (French: '' Ça n'arrive qu'aux autres'').''New York Times Movies''.
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Later career

Ferreux would go on to appear in a number of roles as an adult in his native France in film and television. In 1981, he appeared in the

John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics. He rec ...

-directed English language drama ''

Escape to Victory ''Escape to Victory'' (or simply ''Victory'') is a 1981 sports war film directed by John Huston and starring Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine, Max von Sydow and Pelé. The film is about Allied prisoners of war who are interned in a German ...

'' with actors

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Gardenzio "Sly" Stallone (; born July 6, 1946) is an American actor and filmmaker. In a Sylvester Stallone filmography, film career spanning more than fifty years, Stallone has received List of awards and nominations received by Syl ...

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, 14 March 1933) is a retired English actor. Known for his distinct Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films over Michael Caine filmography, a career that spanned eight decades an ...

Max von Sydow Max von Sydow (; born Carl Adolf von Sydow; 10 April 1929 – 8 March 2020) was a Swedish and French actor. He had a 70-year career in European and American cinema, television, and theatre, appearing in more than 150 films and several television ...

and Brazilian footballer

Pelé Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; 23 October 1940 – 29 December 2022), better known by his nickname Pelé (), was a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. Widely reg ...

. In 2007 he appeared in the

Alain Corneau Alain Corneau (7 August 1943 – 30 August 2010) was a French film director and writer. Corneau was born in Meung-sur-Loire, Loiret. Originally a musician, he worked with Costa-Gavras as an assistant, which was also his first opportunity to work ...

-directed crime thriller ''The Second Wind'' (French: ''Le Deuxième souffle''), starring

Daniel Auteuil Daniel Auteuil (; born 24 January 1950) is a French actor and director who has appeared in a wide range of film genres, including period dramas, romantic comedies, and crime thrillers. In 1996 he won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Fest ...

and

Monica Bellucci Monica Anna Maria Bellucci (; born 30 September 1964) is an Italian actress and model who began her career as a fashion model before working in Italian, American, and French films. She has an eclectic filmography in a range of genres and langua ...

. In 2010 he had a small role in the Alain Corneau-directed ''Crime d'amour'' (English: ''Love Crime'').

Selected filmography

*'' Murmur of the Heart'' (1971) - Laurent Chevalier *'' It Only Happens to Others'' (1971) *'' The Guerrilla'' (1973) *''Défense de savoir'' (1973) *''La Messe dorée'' (1975) - Gary *''Mélodrame'' (1976) - Johnny *'' Violette Nozière'' (1978) *'' L'enfant secret'' (1979) *'' Le Maître-nageur'' (1979) - Le garagiste *'' Moonraker'' (1979) - Moonraker Pilot #2 (uncredited) *''Premier voyage'' (1980) - Charles *''

'' (1981) - Jean Paul Rémy *'' Five Days One Summer'' (1982) - French Student *''

Until September ''Until September'' is a 1984 romantic drama film directed by Richard Marquand and starring Karen Allen and Thierry Lhermitte. The plot concerns an American tourist and a French banker who fall in love in Paris. Plot Moe Alexander (Karen Allen ...

'' (1984) - Willager *''Je hais les acteurs'' (1986) - Assistant *''Sale destin'' (1987) - Killer *'' Le Brasier'' (1991) - Boxer *''Gwladys'' (2005) *'' The Second Wind'' (2007) - Marcel le Stéphanois *''

Love Crime ''Love Crime'' () is a 2010 French psychological thriller film directed by Alain Corneau and starring Ludivine Sagnier and Kristin Scott Thomas. It was Courneau's final film, released shortly before his death in August 2010. Plot Isabelle is a ...

'' (2010) - Le cadre coléreux *''

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'' (2014) - François

References

External links

* 1955 births French male film actors French male television actors French male child actors Living people 20th-century French male actors 21st-century French male actors {{france-screen-actor-stub