René Lefèvre (; born René Paul Louis Lefèvre; 6 March 1898 – 23 May 1991) was a French actor and writer. Throughout his career, he worked with several notable directors, like
Jean Renoir
Jean Renoir (; 15 September 1894 – 12 February 1979) was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. His '' La Grande Illusion'' (1937) and '' The Rules of the Game'' (1939) are often cited by critics as among the greate ...
,
Jean-Pierre Melville
Jean-Pierre Grumbach (20 October 1917 – 2 August 1973), known professionally as Jean-Pierre Melville (), was a French filmmaker. Considered a spiritual godfather of the French New Wave, he was one of the first fully-independent French filmmake ...
,
Jules Dassin
Julius "Jules" Dassin ( ; December 18, 1911 – March 31, 2008) was an American film and theatre director, producer, writer and actor. A subject of the Hollywood blacklist, he subsequently moved to France, and later Greece, where he continued hi ...
, and
René Clair
René Clair (; 11 November 1898 – 15 March 1981), born René-Lucien Chomette (), was a French filmmaker and writer. He first established his reputation in the 1920s as a director of silent films in which comedy was often mingled with fantasy. H ...
.
Career
Lefèvre made his debut in the 1920s when he acted in numerous films in small roles. His first film of note was ''
Le Million
''Le Million'' is a 1931 French musical comedy film directed by René Clair. The story was adapted by Clair from a play by Georges Berr and Marcel Guillemand.
Plot
Michel, a debt-ridden artist, is interrupted several times while romancing Van ...
'', directed by René Clair in 1931. He later had the fortune of starring in the title role in ''
The Crime of Monsieur Lange'', directed by Jean Renoir.
Lefèvre was a left-wing actor and a major figure in the
French Resistance
The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...
during the
German Occupation of France
The Military Administration in France (; ) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zone in areas of northern and western France. This so-called ' was established in June 19 ...
.
He later became friends with
Jean Vigo
Jean Vigo (; 26 April 1905 – 5 October 1934) was a French film director who helped establish poetic realism in film in the 1930s. His work influenced French New Wave cinema of the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Biography
Vigo was born to Emi ...
and recommended him as the director of films financed by a left-wing businessman.
He continued appearing in films until the late 70s, landing a small role in Jean-Pierre Melville's ''
Le Doulos'' in 1962. He died in 1991 in
Poissy
Poissy () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. Inhabitan ...
.
Partial filmography
*1925: ''
Knock'' (de René Hervil) - Jean - le voiturier
*1927: ''
The Marriage of Mademoiselle Beulemans'' (de
Julien Duvivier
Julien Duvivier (; 8 October 1896 – 29 October 1967) was a French film director and screenwriter. He was prominent in French cinema in the years 1930–1960. Amongst his most original films, chiefly notable are ''La Bandera (film), La Bandera'', ...
) - Seraphím Meulemeester
*1927: ''Fleur d'amour'' (de
Marcel Vandal)
*1927: ''Le sous-marin de cristal'' (de
Marcel Vandal) - Comte des Hurlettes
*1928: ''
The Maelstrom of Paris'' (de
Julien Duvivier
Julien Duvivier (; 8 October 1896 – 29 October 1967) was a French film director and screenwriter. He was prominent in French cinema in the years 1930–1960. Amongst his most original films, chiefly notable are ''La Bandera (film), La Bandera'', ...
) - Favergé
*1928: ''
Nile Water'' (de
Marcel Vandal) - Arthur de Sorgepoix
*1928: ''
Not So Stupid'' (de
André Berthomieu)
*1929: ''Un soir au cocktail's bar'' (de
Roger Lion) - Bar clerk
*1929: ''
The Ladies in the Green Hats'' (de
André Berthomieu) - Ulysse Hiacinther
*1929: ''Rapacité'' (de Albert Sauvage) (Short)
*1929: ''Rapacité'' (de
André Berthomieu) - Edmond Chabert
*1930: ''
Le Ruisseau'' (de René Hervil) - Un client
*1930: ''
The Road to Paradise'' (de
Wilhelm Thiele
Wilhelm Thiele, also William Thiele (1890–1975) was an Austrian screenwriter and film director. He directed over 40 films between 1921 and 1960.
Life and career
Thiele started his show career as a stage actor. He got his start in Austrian and ...
et Max de Vaucorbeil) - Jean
*1930: ''
Les Deux mondes'' (de Ewald-Abdré Dupont)
*1931: ''Mon ami Victor'' (de
André Berthomieu) - Victor de Fleury
*1931: ''
The Million'' (de
René Clair
René Clair (; 11 November 1898 – 15 March 1981), born René-Lucien Chomette (), was a French filmmaker and writer. He first established his reputation in the 1920s as a director of silent films in which comedy was often mingled with fantasy. H ...
) - Michel Bouflette
*1931: ''Jean de la Lune'' (de
Jean Choux
Jean Choux (1887–1946) was a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter and film producer, producer born in Geneva. He was active in French and Italian cinema from the silent era until his death in 1946.
Filmography
* ''The Vocation of André C ...
) - Jean de la Lune
*1931: ''
Moon Over Morocco'' (de
Julien Duvivier
Julien Duvivier (; 8 October 1896 – 29 October 1967) was a French film director and screenwriter. He was prominent in French cinema in the years 1930–1960. Amongst his most original films, chiefly notable are ''La Bandera (film), La Bandera'', ...
- Jacques Le Guérantec
*1931: ''On opère sans douleur'' (de
Jean Tarride
Jean Tarride (1901–1980) was a French actor and film director. He was the brother of the actor Jacques Tarride.
Selected filmography
Director
* ' (1931)
* ' (1932)
* ''The Yellow Dog (1932 film), The Yellow Dog'' (1932)
* ''Étienne (film), Éti ...
)
*1932: ''
A Dog That Pays Off'' (de
Jean Choux
Jean Choux (1887–1946) was a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter and film producer, producer born in Geneva. He was active in French and Italian cinema from the silent era until his death in 1946.
Filmography
* ''The Vocation of André C ...
) - René
*1932: ''
Monsieur, Madame and Bibi'' (de
Jean Boyer et
Max Neufeld
Max Neufeld (13 February 1887 – 2 December 1967) was an Austrian film director, actor and screenwriter. He directed 70 films between 1919 and 1957. He directed the 1934 film ''The Song of the Sun'', which starred Vittorio De Sica.
Selecte ...
) - Monsieur Paul Baumann
*1932: ''
Seul'' (de
Jean Tarride
Jean Tarride (1901–1980) was a French actor and film director. He was the brother of the actor Jacques Tarride.
Selected filmography
Director
* ' (1931)
* ' (1932)
* ''The Yellow Dog (1932 film), The Yellow Dog'' (1932)
* ''Étienne (film), Éti ...
) - Eugène Bricot
*1932: ''
Orange Blossom
The orange blossom is the fragrant flower of the orange (fruit), ''Citrus sinensis'' (orange tree). It is used in perfume making and has been written about as an aphrodisiac. Orange blossom Essential oil, essence is an important component in ...
'' (de
Henry Roussell) - Raymond de Méricourt
*1932: ''
His Best Client'' (de
Pierre Colombier
Pierre Colombier (1896–1958) was a French screenwriter and film director.
Selected filmography
Director
* ''Paris in Five Days'' (1926)
* ''The Marriage of Rosine'' (1926)
* ''Dolly (film), Dolly'' (1929)
* ''His Best Client'' (1932)
* ''One Nig ...
) - Gaston
*1932: ''
Buridan's Donkey'' (de
Alexandre Ryder) - Georges
*1933: ''
Paprika
Paprika is a spice made from dried and ground red peppers, traditionally ''capsicum annuum''. It can have varying levels of Pungency, heat, but the peppers used for hot paprika tend to be milder and have thinner flesh than those used to produce ...
'' (de
Jean de Limur
Jean de Limur (13 November 1887, Vouhé, Charente-Maritime – 5 June 1976, Paris) was a French film director, actor and screenwriter. His works include ''La Garçonne (1936 film), La Garçonne'' (1936) and ''The Letter (1929 film), The Letter' ...
) - Paul Charvin
*1933: ''La Paix chez soi'' (de
André Hugon
André Hugon (17 December 1886 – 22 August 1960) was a French film director, screenwriter and film producer best known for his silent films from 1913 onwards, particularly of the 1920s and into sound.
Hugon was born in Algiers in 1886 w ...
) (Short) - Triel
*1934: ''
The Ideal Woman'' (de
André Berthomieu) - Grégoire Vachette
*1934: ''Les Deux canards'' (de
Erich Schmidt) - Gélidon
*1934: ''L'Amour en cage'' (de
Karel Lamač
Karel Lamač (27 January 1897 – 2 August 1952) was a Czech film director, actor, screenwriter, producer and singer. He directed more than 100 films in Czechoslovakia, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
Life
Lama� ...
et
Jean de Limur
Jean de Limur (13 November 1887, Vouhé, Charente-Maritime – 5 June 1976, Paris) was a French film director, actor and screenwriter. His works include ''La Garçonne (1936 film), La Garçonne'' (1936) and ''The Letter (1929 film), The Letter' ...
) - Charles
*1935: ''
The Scandalous Couple'' (de
Georges Lacombe) - Jean
*1935: ''Vogue, mon coeur'' (de
Jacques Daroy) - Jim Ashbury
*1936: ''Le pigeon'' (de
Albert Riera) (Short)
*1936: ''Ca n'a pas d'importance'' de Gaston Didier - court métrage
*1936: ''The Crime of Monsieur Lange'' (de
Jean Renoir
Jean Renoir (; 15 September 1894 – 12 February 1979) was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. His '' La Grande Illusion'' (1937) and '' The Rules of the Game'' (1939) are often cited by critics as among the greate ...
) - Amédée Lange
*1936: ''Le coup de trois'' (de
Jean de Limur
Jean de Limur (13 November 1887, Vouhé, Charente-Maritime – 5 June 1976, Paris) was a French film director, actor and screenwriter. His works include ''La Garçonne (1936 film), La Garçonne'' (1936) and ''The Letter (1929 film), The Letter' ...
) - Monsieur Popolka
*1936: ''Feu la mère de madame'' (de
Germain Fried) (Short)
*1937: ''Trois... six... neuf'' (de
Raymond Rouleau) - Pierre
*1937: ''Le gagnant'' (de
Yves Allégret
Yves Allégret (13 October 1905 – 31 January 1987) was a French film director, often working in the film noir genre. He was born in Asnières-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine and died in Paris.
He was an assistant to film directors such as his brothe ...
) (Short)
*1937: ''Mes tantes et moi'' (de Yvan Noé) - Eloi
*1937: ''Le Choc en retour'' (de
Georges Monca et Maurice Kéroul) - Max de Bellecour
*1937: ''
Gueule d'amour'' (de
Jean Grémillon
Jean Grémillon (; 3 October 1901 – 25 November 1959) was a French film director.
Biography
Grémillon was born in Bayeux and spent his early years in Cerisy-la-Forêt in Normandy. His father was employed by the Ouest railway company. Durin ...
) - René
*1938: ''
Nights of Princes'' (de Vladimir Strizhevsky) - Wassili Wronsky
*1938: ''La Piste du sud'' (de
Pierre Billon) - L'instituteur Saillant
*1938: ''Sommes-nous défendus'' (de Jean Loubignac) - Le journaliste
*1939: ''
Place de la Concorde
The Place de la Concorde (; ) is a public square in Paris, France. Measuring in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées.
It was the s ...
'' (de
Karel Lamač
Karel Lamač (27 January 1897 – 2 August 1952) was a Czech film director, actor, screenwriter, producer and singer. He directed more than 100 films in Czechoslovakia, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
Life
Lama� ...
) - Ripotot
*1939: ''Feux de joie'' (de
Jacques Houssin) - Roland
*1939: ''Petite Peste'' (de
Jean de Limur
Jean de Limur (13 November 1887, Vouhé, Charente-Maritime – 5 June 1976, Paris) was a French film director, actor and screenwriter. His works include ''La Garçonne (1936 film), La Garçonne'' (1936) and ''The Letter (1929 film), The Letter' ...
) - Jacques Chantelouve
*1940: ''
Musicians of the Sky'' (de
Georges Lacombe) - Victor Barthélémy
*1941: ''
Parade en sept nuits
''Parade en sept nuits'' () is a 1941 French film.
Plot
In a dog pound, one of the dog tells stories about his former life, including adventures in a circus.
Production
Production commenced in 1940 at Francoeur Studios in Paris, but was interrup ...
'' (de
Marc Allégret
Marc Allégret (22 December 1900 – 3 November 1973) was a French screenwriter, photographer and film director.
Biography
Born in Basel, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland, he was the elder brother of Yves Allégret. Marc was educated to be a lawyer in ...
) - Uniquement dialoguiste
*1942: ''Opéra-Musette'' (de René Lefèvre et
Claude Renoir) - Lampluche
*1942: ''
The Woman I Loved Most
''The Woman I Loved Most'' (French: ''La femme que j'ai le plus aimée'') is a 1942 French drama film directed by Robert Vernay and starring Arletty, Mireille Balin and Lucien Baroux. https://www.unifrance.org/film/2824/la-femme-que-j-ai-le-pl ...
'' (de
Robert Vernay
Robert Vernay (May 30, 1907 in Paris – October 17, 1979 in Paris) was a French director and screenwriter.
Career
In 1937, Vernay worked as assistant director to Julien Duvivier on ''Pépé le Moko''.
In 1944, Vernay directed an adaptation of ...
) - Georges, le fils de l'industriel
*1943: ''À la belle frégate'' (de Albert Valentin) - Jean
*1943: ''
Arlette and Love'' de
Robert Vernay
Robert Vernay (May 30, 1907 in Paris – October 17, 1979 in Paris) was a French director and screenwriter.
Career
In 1937, Vernay worked as assistant director to Julien Duvivier on ''Pépé le Moko''.
In 1944, Vernay directed an adaptation of ...
) - Le notaire
*1945: ''
Box of Dreams'' (de
Yves Allégret
Yves Allégret (13 October 1905 – 31 January 1987) was a French film director, often working in the film noir genre. He was born in Asnières-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine and died in Paris.
He was an assistant to film directors such as his brothe ...
) - Marc
*1945: ''
Son dernier rôle'' (de
Jean Gourguet)
*1947: ''
Le Bataillon du ciel'' (de
Alexander Esway
Alexander Esway (20 January 1895 – 23 August 1947) was a Hungarian-born film director, screenwriter, and producer.
Life and career
Esway was born Sándor Ezry in Budapest. In the late 1920s and early 1930s he worked as a director and screenwri ...
) - Baptiste - Film tourné en deux époques
*1948: ''La carcasse et le tord-cou'' (de René Chanas) - Uniquement dialoguiste
*1949: ''
Daybreak'' (de
Louis Daquin
Louis Daquin (20 May 1908 – 2 October 1980) was a French film director, screenwriter and actor. He directed 14 films between 1938 and 1963. He also appeared in 11 films between 1937 and 1979.
Selected filmography
* ''The Man from Nowhere ...
) - Dubard
*1949: ''
The White Squadron'' (de René Chanas) - L'adjudant Devars
*1950: ''Un sourire dans la tempête'' (de René Chanas) - Uniquement dialoguiste
*1951: ''
Under the Sky of Paris'' (de
Julien Duvivier
Julien Duvivier (; 8 October 1896 – 29 October 1967) was a French film director and screenwriter. He was prominent in French cinema in the years 1930–1960. Amongst his most original films, chiefly notable are ''La Bandera (film), La Bandera'', ...
) - Uniquement dialoguiste
*1952: ''
Alone in the World'' (de
René Chanas
René Chanas, real name René Lindecker (13 September 1913 - 9 July 1990) was a French film director, screenwriter, and film producer.
Filmography
Director
* 1945: '' The Last Judgment''
* 1947: '' The Crowned Fish Tavern''
* 1948: '
* 1 ...
) - François Hermenault
*1952: ''
Trois femmes'' (de
André Michel) - M. Cachelin (segment "L'Héritage")
*1953: ''
Storms
A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstorm) ...
'' (de
Guido Brignone
Guido Brignone (6 December 1886 – 6 March 1959) was an Italian film director and actor. He was the father of actress Lilla Brignone and younger brother of actress Mercedes Brignone.
Brignone was born in Milan, Italy. He was the first Italian ...
) - Amédée Didier (uncredited)
*1955: ''
La Lumière d'en face'' (de
Georges Lacombe) - Walter
*1955: ''
Bel Ami
''Bel-Ami'' (, "Dear Friend") is the second novel by French author Guy de Maupassant, published in 1885; an English translation titled ''Bel Ami, or, The History of a Scoundrel: A Novel'' first appeared in 1903.
The story chronicles journalist ...
'' (de
Louis Daquin
Louis Daquin (20 May 1908 – 2 October 1980) was a French film director, screenwriter and actor. He directed 14 films between 1938 and 1963. He also appeared in 11 films between 1937 and 1979.
Selected filmography
* ''The Man from Nowhere ...
) - Le banquier Walter
*1957: ''
La Garçonne'' (de
Jacqueline Audry
Jacqueline Audry (25 September 1908 – 22 June 1977) was a French film director who began making films in post-World War II France and specialised in literary adaptations. She was the first commercially successful female director of post-war ...
) - Professeur Vignabos
*1957: ''
Celui qui doit mourir'' (de
Jules Dassin
Julius "Jules" Dassin ( ; December 18, 1911 – March 31, 2008) was an American film and theatre director, producer, writer and actor. A subject of the Hollywood blacklist, he subsequently moved to France, and later Greece, where he continued hi ...
) - Yannakos
*1958: ''
It's All Adam's Fault'' (de
Jacqueline Audry
Jacqueline Audry (25 September 1908 – 22 June 1977) was a French film director who began making films in post-World War II France and specialised in literary adaptations. She was the first commercially successful female director of post-war ...
) - Norbert de Cazaubon
*1958:''
Sois belle et tais-toi'' (de
Marc Allégret
Marc Allégret (22 December 1900 – 3 November 1973) was a French screenwriter, photographer and film director.
Biography
Born in Basel, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland, he was the elder brother of Yves Allégret. Marc was educated to be a lawyer in ...
) - Monsieur Raphael
*1958: ''La liberté surveillée'' (de Henri Aisner et Vladimír Vlcek) - Benoît
*1958: ''Le Gorille vous salue bien'' (de
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 ...
) - Commissaire Blavet
*1959: ''Douze heures d'horloge'' (de
Geza Radvanyi)
*1959: ''
Rue des prairies
''Rue des prairies'' is a 1959 French drama film directed by Denys de La Patellière. It is an adaptation of a novel by René Lefèvre.
Plot
Widower Henri Neveux ( Jean Gabin) has difficult relationships with his children.
Cast
* Jean Gabi ...
'' (de
Denys de La Patellière
Denys de La Patellière (8 March 1921 in Nantes, France – 21 July 2013) was a French film director and scriptwriter. He also directed Television series.
He died in 2013 at the age of 92.
Biography
The son of an officer, Denys de La Patell ...
) - Uniquement d'après son roman
*1959: ''
Le secret du Chevalier d'Éon
''Le secret du Chevalier d'Éon'' is a 1959 French-Italian film. It stars Andrée Debar and Gabriele Ferzetti
Gabriele Ferzetti (born Pasquale Ferzetti; 17 March 1925 – 2 December 2015) was an Italian actor with more than 160 credits acros ...
'' (de
Jacqueline Audry
Jacqueline Audry (25 September 1908 – 22 June 1977) was a French film director who began making films in post-World War II France and specialised in literary adaptations. She was the first commercially successful female director of post-war ...
) - Le comte Antoine d'Éon
*1962: ''Comme un poisson dans l'eau'' (de
André Michel) - M. Dumesnil
*1963: ''
Le Doulos'' (de
Jean-Pierre Melville
Jean-Pierre Grumbach (20 October 1917 – 2 August 1973), known professionally as Jean-Pierre Melville (), was a French filmmaker. Considered a spiritual godfather of the French New Wave, he was one of the first fully-independent French filmmake ...
) - Gilbert Varnove
*1963: ''
Une blonde comme ça'' (de Jean Jabely) - Doc
*1963: ''La Foire aux cancres'' (de
Louis Daquin
Louis Daquin (20 May 1908 – 2 October 1980) was a French film director, screenwriter and actor. He directed 14 films between 1938 and 1963. He also appeared in 11 films between 1937 and 1979.
Selected filmography
* ''The Man from Nowhere ...
) - L'inspecteur
*1964: ''Un gosse de la butte'' (de Maurice Delbez) - Monsieur Bosquet
*1966: ''
Angelique and the King'' (de
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 ...
) - Colbert
*1967: ''
Un homme de trop'' (de Constantin Costa Gavras) - Colonel Guers
*1976: ''
Le Corps de mon ennemi'' (de
Henri Verneuil) - Pierre Leclercq
*1977: ''Un oursin dans la poche'' (de
Pascal Thomas) - Pierre Leclercq
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lefevre, Rene
1898 births
1991 deaths
French male film actors
French male silent film actors
Male actors from Nice, France
20th-century French male actors