Jean Topart (13 April 1922 – 29 December 2012) was a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

actor. He was considered one of the best known voices on French television for decades. In addition to providing the voices and narration for television series and animated films, Topart often dubbed American and other foreign films into French. Topart was born in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, on 13 April 1922. His sister, actress Lise Topart, died in a plane crash in

Nice, France Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department in France. The Nice urban unit, agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million

, on 3 March 1952. In 1973, Topart starred in the French

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

animated film Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...

, ''

Fantastic Planet ''Fantastic Planet'' (; , ) is a 1973 animated science fiction film directed by René Laloux. Its allegorical story, about humans living on a strange planet dominated by giant humanoid aliens who consider them animals, is based on the 1957 nov ...

'', which was directed by

René Laloux René Laloux (; 13 July 1929 – 15 March 2004) was a French animator, screenwriter and film director. Biography He was born in Paris in 1929 and went to art school to study painting. After some time working in advertising, he got a job in ...

. Best known for his voice work, Topart co-starred in the 1981 Franco-Japanese animated television series, ''

Ulysses 31 is an anime series (1981) that updates the Greek mythology of Odysseus (known as "Ulixes" or "Ulysses" in Latin) to the 31st century. The show comprises 26 half-hour episodes as a co-production between DIC Audiovisuel and Tokyo Movie Shinsha ...

'', and ''

The Mysterious Cities of Gold , known outside of Japan as the first season of ''The Mysterious Cities of Gold'' ( French: ''Les Mystérieuses Cités d'Or''), is an animated series which was produced by MK, NHK, DiC Audiovisuel, CLT and animated by Studio Pierrot. Th ...

'' in 1982. He narrated the 2000 French animated series, '' Argai: The Prophecy''. Topart was cast in the French version of numerous foreign language films, including '' DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp'' for Disney in 1990. He was cast as

narrator Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the ...

for the French-language release of the 2002

Walt Disney Animation Studios Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that produces animated feature films and short films for the Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a s ...

film, ''

Treasure Planet ''Treasure Planet'' is a 2002 American animated science fiction film, science fiction adventure film directed by John Musker and Ron Clements and written by Musker, Clements and Rob Edwards (screenwriter), Rob Edwards. Produced by Walt Disney ...

'', known as ''La Planète au trésor, un nouvel univers'' in French. Topart also dubbed the French-language voices for many foreign live-action films, including ''

The Elephant Man Joseph Carey Merrick (5 August 1862 – 11 April 1890) was an English man known for his severe physical deformities. He was first exhibited at a freak show under the stage name "The Elephant Man", and then went to live at the London Hospital, ...

'' in 1980, '' Birdy'' in 1984, and ''

Amadeus Amadeus may refer to: People and fictional characters * Amadeus (name) Amadeus is a theophoric name, theophoric given name derived from the Latin words ' – the Imperative mood, imperative of the word ' ("to love") – and ' ("god"). As a Compou ...

'' in 1984. Outside of animation, Topart was a member of the Théâtre national populaire (TNP), a French theater troupe, from 1950 to 1960 before entering film and television. His live-action film credits included ''

Angélique, Marquise des Anges ''Angélique, Marquise des Anges'' is a 1964 historical romance film directed by Bernard Borderie and starring Michèle Mercier, Robert Hossein and Jean Rochefort. It is based on the 1956 novel of the same name by Anne and Serge Golon. It was ma ...

'' by

Bernard Borderie Bernard Borderie (10 June 1924 in Paris – 28 May 1978 in Paris) was a French film director and screenwriter. His father, Raymond Borderie, was one of the producers of ''Children of Paradise, Les Enfants du Paradis'' (''Children of Paradise'', 194 ...

in 1964 and

Claude Chabrol Claude Henri Jean Chabrol (; 24 June 1930 – 12 September 2010) was a French film director and a member of the French New Wave (''nouvelle vague'') group of filmmakers who first came to prominence at the end of the 1950s. Like his colleagues an ...

's ''

Chicken with Vinegar ''Cop au Vin'' () is a 1985 French crime film directed by Claude Chabrol. It was entered into the 1985 Cannes Film Festival. The original French title is a pun: it literally means "vinegar chicken," but "poulet" is also French slang for "cop." T ...

'' in 1985. His last on-screen film was the 2000

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

, ''

Les Acteurs ''Actors'' (original title: ''Les Acteurs'') is a 2000 French comedy film directed by Bertrand Blier. Plot A collection of portraits of actors (exclusively men, with the exception of Josiane Balasko interpreting André Dussollier) who meet and t ...

'', directed by

Bertrand Blier Bertrand Blier (; 14 March 1939 – 20 January 2025) was a French film director and writer. His 1978 film '' Get Out Your Handkerchiefs'' won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 51st Academy Awards. Career His 1996 film '' ...

. Topart died in

Le Port-Marly Le Port-Marly () is a commune in the outer western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region, north of Versailles. In 2019, Le Port-Marly had a population of 5,481. Population See also * C ...

Yvelines Yvelines () is a department in the western part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,448,207.French Minister of Culture

Aurélie Filippetti Aurélie Filippetti ( ; born 17 June 1973) is a French politician and novelist. She served as French Minister of Culture and Communications from 2012 until 2014, first in the government of Jean-Marc Ayrault and then in the government of Man ...

released a statement following Topart's death calling him, "one of the inimitable voices of

French cinema The cinema of France comprises the film industry and its film productions, whether made within the nation of France or by French film production companies abroad. It is the oldest and largest precursor of national cinemas in Europe, with prima ...

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Topart, Jean 1922 births 2012 deaths Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery French male film actors French male stage actors French male television actors French male voice actors Male actors from Paris 20th-century French male actors