Jean Servais
Jean Aimé Antoine Servais (* September 24, 1910 in Antwerp, † February 17, 1976 in Paris) was a Belgian actor. In addition to a successful stage career he appeared in over 80 film and television roles in appearance. A wide audience he became famous through Jules Dassin's film Rififi ( 1955).
Life
Education and theater work
Jean Servais in 1910 in Antwerp ( other claims to 1912), the son of the artillery officer Henri Servais and his wife Marguerite (birth name Courduan ) born. He attended the Collège Saint -Michel in Brussels and came during his law studies in the Belgian capital with the theater into contact. Then he switched to acting and studied at the Brussels Conservatoire d'Art dramatique. Later, he made the acquaintance of Raymond Rouleau. This took him to the ensemble cast of the Théâtre du Marais in Brussels, where Servais first having been successful in Ferdinand Bruckner's play Pains of Youth.
1930 guest appearances Servais, Rouleau and Madeleine Ozeray with the Bruckner drama also successful in Paris. Two years later, pulled the Belgians in the French capital, where numerous stage main roles were to follow in several theaters. Servais joined the theater group known to Jean- Louis Barrault and Madeleine Renaud and remained throughout his life the stage ally. He served with success in both roles in classic plays and contemporary fabrics, including works by Jean Anouilh ( The sample or punished Love, 1950 ), Paul Claudel ( The Exchange, 1951; Break of Noon, 1952 ), Jean Giraudoux ( Pour Lucrèce, 1953 ), Ben Jonson ( Volpone, 1955 ), Anton Chekhov ( The Cherry Orchard, 1954) and Peter Weiss ( Marat / Sade, 1966). In 1969, he was seen together with Madeleine Renaud in the French-speaking performance of Marguerite Duras ' The English mistress at London's Royal Court Theatre.
Film career
Parallel to his work in the theater debuted Servais 1932 with a supporting role in Jack Forrester movie Criminel ( 1932). This was followed by other appearances in the French feature film productions, including the lead role of Frédéric Chopin in La chanson de l' adieu or the part of Marius in Raymond Bernard's Hugo - adaptation The Damned ( both 1934). Servais ' bass voice and his subtle performance, found primarily in dramas application. After the Second World War, which interrupted his film career, he found in 1948 with Marcel Cravennes Danse de mort with Erich von Stroheim returned to the big screen. The appearance of the Belgian actor, however, had changed significantly. His wrinkled face, his sad eyes and the tired smile radiated from now on, a melancholy intelligence from. In addition, there contributed to his deep, melodious grave voice that he should get a variety of speaking roles in documentaries and feature films, including Alain Resnais ' Gauguin ( 1950) and Jacques Demy's Donkey Skin (1970). The brooding, haunting demeanor that he put his life on the day, Servais predestined for disillusioned, confused characters, including that of the strange, eerie guesthouse guest in Yves Allégrets Drama A pretty little beach (1949 ) with Gérard Philipe and Madeleine Robinson.
The international breakthrough as a film actor turned 1955 with the title role in Jules Dassin's Rififi. In the feature film Servais slipped into the role of a jewel robber, who, fresh out of prison, prepared a raid on a jewelery shop. The realistic thriller with its detailed break- sequence is now regarded as a masterpiece and " grandfather " of all Caper movies. For the part of the hard-nosed, methodical previous crime boss Tony Servais 1955 was awarded the French Étoile de Cristal for Best Actor. With Dassin the actor in 1957 worked one more time at the award-winning drama The man who must die together, in which he is seen as a Greek Orthodox priest who rejects the survivors of a Turkish massacre. After the role of a ruthless Latin American Governor Luis Buñuel in melodrama For him, I'll sell ' me ( 1959) he worked up in the 1970s on as a film actor, but could not build on the success of Rififi. In the 1960s, Servais took small character roles in international productions such as the Oscar-winning U.S. war movie The Longest Day (1962 ) or Philippe de Broca's successful comedy adventure in Rio (1964). His film career ended with appearances on French and Italian B-movies.
Jean Servais was married to the French actress Dominique Blanchar, the daughter of the famous actor Pierre Blanchar. The marriage ended in divorce. 1976 Servais died at the age of 65 years during an operation on a heart failure.
Filmography (selection)
Awards
- Étoile de Cristal 1955: Best Actor for Rififi