Louis
Jourdan
1921 - 2015 |
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The actorLouis Jourdan was born as Louis Gendre in Marseille.
He already made his film debut in 1939 with "Le corsaire" (39), till
the end of war followed other productions like "La comédie du bonheur"
(40), "L'Arlésienne" (42), "La belle aventure" (42), "Les petites
du quai aux fleurs" (44) and "La vie de Bohème" (45). During wartime
he also worked for the Résistance after the capture of his father
by the Gestapo.
He was signed on by David O'Selznick to Hollywood after the war and
Louis Jourdan launched his second career.
His first movie he shot in the USA was Alfred Hitchcock's "The Paradine
Case - Der Fall Paradine" (47), other productions of the 40's were "Letter
from an Unknown Woman" (48) and "Madame Bovary" (49).
Louis Jourdan appeared in many well-known movies of the 50's and impersonated
the epitome of a "Latin Lover", whom the hearts of the women were at his
feet.
To his well-known movies of those years belong "Anne of the Indies"
(51), "Decameron Nights" (53), "Three Coins in the Fountain" (54), "The
Swan" (56), "Julie" (56) and finally "Gigi" (58), which made him world-famous.
He only appeared sporadically in the French post-war film, so in "Rue
de l'estrapade" (53) and "La mariée est trop belle" (56).
The roles he got offered in the USA kept one-sided in the next years
and he appeared more often in TV productions where he was able to impersonate
more varied roles.
To his movies of the 60's and 70's belong "Can-Can" (60), "Le comte
de Monte Cristo" (61), "Leviathan" (62), "Mathias Sandorf" (62), "Les sultans"
(66), "Cervantes" (67), "Run a Crooked Mile" (69), "The Man in the Iron
Mask" (77), "Count Dracula" (77) and "Silver Bears" (78).
His career stagnated from the 80's and the quality of the offered roles
left much to be desired. His last great production was the James Bond movie
"Octopussy" (83) where he played the villain, beside it he took part in
the productions "Swamp Thing - Das Ding aus dem Sumpf" (82), "Escape to
Love" (82), "Cover Up" (84), "Escuadron" (87) and "Year of the Comet" (92).
Louis Jourdan had to cope with a bad blow in 1981 when his son Louis
Henry died because of an overdose.
Other movies with Louis Jourdan:
Premier rendez-vous (41) Parade en sept nuits (41) Untel
père et fils (43) Félicie Nanteuil (45) No Minor Vices (48)
Bird of Paradise (51) The Happy Time (52) Serie "Paris Precinct" (53) Serie
"Robert Montgomery Presents: Wages of Fear" (54) Serie "The Elgin Hour:
Warm Clay" (54) Serie "Studio One: Passage of Arms" (55) Serie "Climax!:
The Escape of Mendes-France" (55) Serie "The Ford Television Theatre: Journey
by Moonlight" (56) Serie "Playhouse 90: Eloise" (56) Escapade (57)
Dangerous Exile (57) Serie "The Ford Television Theatre: The Man Who Beat
Lupo" (57) Serie "General Electric Theater: The Falling Angel" (58) The
Best of Everything (59) Le vergini di Roma (61) Il disordine (62) The V.I.P.s
(63) Serie "Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre: War of Nerves" (64)
Serie "The Greatest Show on Earth: A Place to Belong" (64) Serie "Kraft
Suspense Theatre: Graffiti" (64) Serie "Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler
Theatre: Clash of Cymbals" (64) Made in Paris (66) Peau d'espion (67) Serie
"The F.B.I.: Rope of Gold" (67) Serie "The F.B.I.: Wind It Up and It Betrays
You" (68) Serie "The Name of the Game: Lola in Lipstick" (68) A Flea in
Her Ear (68) To Die in Paris (68) Fear No Evil (69) Ritual of Evil (70)
Serie "The F.B.I.: The Minerva Tapes" (71) The Great American Beauty Contest
(73) Piange...il telefono (73) The Count of Monte Cristo (75) Plus ça
va, moins ça va (77) Columbo: Murder Under Glass (78) Serie "The
French Atlantic Affair" (79) Serie "Vega$: The Lido Girls" (80) Serie "Charlie's
Angels: Nips and Tucks" (80) Serie "Vega$: French Twist" (81) Double Deal
(81) Gamble on Love (82) For Love of Angela (82) The First Olympics: Athens
1896 (84) Serie "Hotel: Prisms" (84) Serie "Cover Up: Pilot" (84) Beverly
Hills Madam (86) Grand Larceny (87) The Return of Swamp Thing (89) |
