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French Film |
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| Charles
Boyer
1897 - 1978 |
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. The actor Charles Boyer began his successful film career in French silent movies, beside it he also appeared in some German silent movies too. He made his film debut in "L'homme du large" (20). It followed "Le grillon du foyer" (22) and "Le capitaine Fracasse" (29). With the transition to the sound movies his roles became bigger. He already made his film debut in the USA in 1931 with "The Magnificent Lie" (31), where he later could continue his career very successful. To his European talkies belong "Le procès e Mary Dugan" (30), "Tumultes" (32), "Ich und die Kaiserin" (33), "I.F. 1 ne répond plus" (33), "Lilliom" (34) and "Le bonheur" (34). Parallel to his European movies he could cement a second career in the
USA. But the begin was hard. First he had to learn English, and for the
Americans he was a completely unknown actor.
Months went by in which Charles Boyer studied English night and day. After all he got a tiny role as a chauffeur at Jean Harlow's side in "Red-Headed Woman" (32), but the appearance was enough to direct the attention to him. Charles Boyer - the great star in France - wasn't afraid of beginning at naught in the USA, but this attitude paid off. It followed engagements for "The Only Girl" (33) and "Private Worlds" (35) and he soon became a popular actor who was surrounded with a very special aura. With his acting in "Shanghai" (35), "Mayerling" (36), "The Garden of Allah" (36), "Conquest" (37), "Algiers" (38) and "When Tomorrow Comes" (39) he became a great star in the USA who especially fascinated the female audience. Charles Boyer was normally brought into play for so-called gentleman
roles because of his French accent. Therefore he fought for more profound
and more eventful characters from the 40's. In the next years he took part
in "Tales of Manhattan" (42), "Flesh and Fantasy" (43) and finally he impersonated
his most impressive role as a villain in "Gaslight" (44).
Charles Boyer succeeded in the transition to "more mature" roles easily. He was convincing in "Confidential Agent" (45), "Arch of Triumph" (48), "The 13th Letter" (51), "Nana" (55), "Around the World in Eighty Days" (56) and "The Buccaneer" (58). Since the 50's he also appeared again in French productions like "Una parisienne" (57), "Les démons de minuit" (61), "Paris brûle-t-il? (66) and "Le rouble à deux faces" (68). Other well-known movies in those years are "Fanny" (61), "The Horsemen of the Apocalypse" (61), "How to Steal a Million" (66), "Casino Royale" (67), "Barefoot in the Park" (67) and "The Madwoman of Chaillot" (69). He only appeared in few more movies in the 70's, so in "Lost Horizon"
(73), "Stavisky" (74) and "A Matter of Time" (76).
Charles Boyer was nominated for four Oscars during his career, in 1943
he got the Honorary Award for his cultural achievement with the foundation
of the French Research Foundation in Los Angeles.
Other movies with Charles Boyer:
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