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Jean Gabin is a Actor, Scriptwriter and Producer French born on 17 may 1904 at Paris (France)

Jean Gabin

Jean Gabin
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Birth name Jean-Alexis Moncorgé
Nationality France
Birth 17 may 1904 at Paris (France)
Death 15 november 1976 (at 72 years) at Neuilly-sur-Seine (France)
Awards Croix de guerre 1939–1945, Officier de la Légion d'honneur

Jean Gabin ([ʒɑ̃ gabɛ̃]; 17 May 1904 – 15 November 1976) was a French actor and sometime singer. Considered a key figure in French cinema, he starred in several classic films including Pépé le Moko (1937), La grande illusion (1937), Le Quai des brumes (1938), La bête humaine (1938), Le jour se lève (1939), and Le plaisir (1952). Gabin was made a member of the Légion d'honneur, due to the important role he played in French Cinema.

Biography

Early life
Gabin was born Jean-Alexis Moncorgé in Paris, the son of Madeleine Petit and Ferdinand Moncorgé, a cafe entertainer whose stage name was Gabin. He grew up in the village of Mériel in the Seine-et-Oise (now Val-d'Oise) département, about 22 mi (35 km) north of Paris. The son of cabaret entertainers, he attended the Lycée Janson de Sailly. Leaving school early, he worked as a laborer until the age of 19 when he entered show business with a bit part in a Folies Bergères production. He continued performing in a variety of minor roles before going into the military.


Career
After completing his military service, Gabin returned to the entertainment business, working under the stage name of Jean Gabin at whatever was offered in the Parisian music halls and operettas, imitating the singing style of Maurice Chevalier, which was the rage at the time. He was part of a troupe that toured South America, and upon returning to France found work at the Moulin Rouge. His performances started getting noticed, and better stage roles came along that led to parts in two silent films in 1928.

Two years later, he easily made the transition to talkies in a 1930 Pathé Frères production titled Chacun sa Chance. Playing secondary roles, Gabin made more than a dozen films over the next four years, including films directed by Maurice and Jacques Tourneur. However, he only gained real recognition for his performance in Maria Chapdelaine, a 1934 production directed by Julien Duvivier. Cast as a romantic hero in a 1936 war drama titled La Bandera, this second Duvivier-directed film established Gabin as a major star. The following year, he teamed up with Duvivier again, this time in the highly successful Pépé le Moko; its popularity brought Gabin international recognition. That same year, he starred in the Jean Renoir film La Grande Illusion, an anti-war film that ran at a New York City theatre for an unprecedented six months. This was followed by another one of Renoir's major works: La Bête Humaine (The Human Beast), a film noir tragedy based on the novel by Émile Zola and starring Gabin and Simone Simon, as well as Le Quai Des Brumes (Port of Shadows), one of director Marcel Carné's classics of poetic realism. He was divorced from his second wife in 1939.

Flooded with offers from Hollywood, for a time Gabin turned them all down until the outbreak of World War II. After the German occupation of France in 1940, he joined Jean Renoir and Julien Duvivier in the United States. During his time in Hollywood, Gabin began a torrid romance with actress Marlene Dietrich which lasted until 1948.
However, his films in America - Moontide (1942) and The Impostor (1944), the later reuniting him with Duvivier - were not successful.

A difficult personality, he did serious damage to his Hollywood career while working for RKO Pictures. Scheduled to star in an RKO film, at the last minute he demanded Dietrich be given the co-starring role. The studio refused. After Gabin remained steadfast in his demand, he was fired, and the film project was shelved.

Undaunted, Jean Gabin joined General Charles de Gaulle's Free French Forces and earned the Médaille militaire and a Croix de guerre for his wartime valor fighting with the Allies in North Africa. Following D-Day, Gabin was part of the military contingent that entered a liberated Paris.

In 1946, Gabin was hired by Marcel Carné to star in the film, Les Portes de la Nuit, but his conduct got him fired again. He then found a French producer and director willing to cast him and Marlene Dietrich together, but their film Martin Roumagnac was not a success and their personal relationship soon ended. Following another box office failure in 1947, Gabin returned to the stage, but there too, the production was another financial disaster. Nevertheless, he was cast in the lead role of the 1949 René Clément film Au-Delà Des Grilles that won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Despite this recognition, the film did not do well at the French box office, and the next five years brought little more than repeated box office failures.



Gabin's career seemed headed for oblivion. However, he made a comeback in the 1954 film, Touchez pas au grisbi (Don't Touch the Loot). Directed by Jacques Becker, his performance earned him critical acclaim, and the film was a very profitable international success. Later, he worked once again with Jean Renoir in French Cancan, with María Félix and Françoise Arnoul. Over the next twenty years, Gabin made close to 50 more films, most of them very successful commercially and critically, including many for Gafer Films, his production partnership with fellow actor Fernandel.

His co-stars included leading figures of post-war cinema such as Brigitte Bardot (En cas de malheur), Alain Delon (Le Clan des Siciliens, Mélodie en sous-sol and Deux hommes dans la ville), Jean-Paul Belmondo (Un singe en hiver) and Louis de Funès (Le Tatoué).


Death
Gabin died of leukaemia at the American Hospital of Paris, in the Parisian suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine. His body was cremated and with full military honours, his ashes were scattered at sea from a military ship.

Best films

The Sicilian Clan (1969)
(Actor)
Grand Illusion (1937)
(Actor)
The President (1961)
(Actor)
Marie of the Port (1950)
(Actor)
Hi-Jack Highway (1955)
(Actor)
Speaking of Murder (1957)
(Actor)

Usually with

Gilles Grangier
Gilles Grangier
(12 films)
Michel Audiard
Michel Audiard
(21 films)
Jacques Marin
Jacques Marin
(18 films)
René Hell
René Hell
(17 films)
Source : Wikidata

Filmography of Jean Gabin (104 films)

Display filmography as list

Actor

The Image Book, 1h25
Directed by Jean-Luc Godard
Origin Suisse
Genres Drama, Documentary
Actors Jean-Luc Godard, Jean-Pierre Gos, Buster Keaton, Jean Gabin, Douglas Fairbanks, Jean Marais
Roles (film archive footage)
Rating62% 3.1006653.1006653.1006653.1006653.100665
Selon Jean-Luc Godard, il s'agit d'un film en six parties dont les cinq premières constituent « une très longue introduction [...] comme si avant de voir la main, on voit séparément les cinq doigts», la sixième étant «une espèce de fable » sur une fausse révolution conçue par un chef d'un émirat fictif privé de ressources pétrolières.
Iron Man 2
Iron Man 2 (2010)
, 2h5
Directed by Jon Favreau
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Thriller, Fantastic, Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Themes Transport films, Aviation films, Superhero films, Super-héros inspiré de comics, Children's films, Robot films
Actors Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Sam Rockwell
Rating68% 3.449283.449283.449283.449283.44928
In Russia, the media covers Tony Stark's disclosure of his identity as Iron Man. Ivan Vanko, whose father Anton Vanko has just died, sees this and begins building a miniature arc reactor similar to Stark's. Six months later, Stark is a superstar and uses his Iron Man suit for peaceful means, resisting government pressure to sell his designs. He re-institutes the Stark Expo in Flushing Meadows to continue his father Howard's legacy.
La Classe américaine, 39minutes
Directed by Michel Hazanavicius, Dominique Mézerette
Genres Comedy, Crime
Actors John Wayne, Christine Delaroche, Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Marc Cassot, Steve McQueen
Rating73% 3.6654453.6654453.6654453.6654453.665445
Diffusé pour les fêtes de fin d'année, ce second détournement (qui fait suite à Derrick contre Superman) est un Ça cartoon déjanté mêlant des séquences originales présenté par Valérie Payet et Philippe Dana à des extraits redoublés de dessins animés avec Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck... et de films avec Steve McQueen, Burt Lancaster, Jack Nicholson, Jean Gabin, etc. Il s'agit du second des trois téléfilms du Grand Détournement.
Things I Like, Things I Don't Like, 8minutes
Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Origin France
Genres Comedy
Actors Dominique Pinon, Chick Ortega, Marie-Laure Dougnac, Diane Bertrand, Fabienne Chaudat, Philippe Paimblanc
Rating75% 3.789083.789083.789083.789083.78908
Dominique Pinon talks to the camera describing his likes and dislikes, ranging from the simple such as "I hate men with a beard but no moustache" to the more touching, "I like to think that after death can't be worse than before birth." Each of his examples is accompanied by a visual demonstration.
Cinema Paradiso, 1h58
Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore
Origin Italie
Genres Drama, Romance
Themes L'adolescence, Films about films, Films about children, Medical-themed films, Seafaring films, Transport films, Films about disabilities, La cécité
Actors Philippe Noiret, Salvatore Cascio, Marco Leonardi, Jacques Perrin, Brigitte Fossey, Antonella Attili
Roles Wasska Pepel (archive footage) (uncredited)
Rating84% 4.2495954.2495954.2495954.2495954.249595
In Rome, in the 1980s, famous Italian film director Salvatore Di Vita returns home late one evening, where his girlfriend sleepily tells him that his mother called to say someone named Alfredo has died. Salvatore obviously shies from committed relationships and has not been to his home village of Giancaldo, Sicily in 30 years. As his girlfriend asks him who Alfredo is, Salvatore flashes back to his childhood.
My American Uncle, 2h5
Directed by Alain Resnais
Origin France
Genres Drama, Thriller, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Musical, Romance
Themes Philosophie, Psychologie
Actors Gérard Depardieu, Roger Pierre, Nicole Garcia, Pierre Arditi, Nelly Borgeaud, Danielle Darrieux
Roles Self (archive footage)
Rating75% 3.789923.789923.789923.789923.78992
The didactic film is built around the ideas of French physician, writer and philosopher Henri Laborit, who plays himself in the film. It uses the stories of three people to illustrate Laborit's theories on evolutionary psychology regarding the relationship of self and society.
Holy Year
Holy Year (1976)
, 1h25
Directed by Jean Girault
Origin France
Genres Comedy, Comedy thriller, Crime
Actors Jean Gabin, Jean-Claude Brialy, Nicoletta Machiavelli, Danielle Darrieux, Henri Virlogeux, Jacques Marin
Roles Max Lambert
Rating62% 3.147483.147483.147483.147483.14748
Max Lambert est un vieux truand coriace. À la prison centrale de Melun, il rencontre Pierre Bizet qui lui parle d'aller récupérer un magot d'un demi-milliard en or, enterré près d'une petite chapelle aux alentours de Rome. Marcel Scandini, ex-associé de Max, organise leur évasion. Max se déguise en évêque et Pierre, censé être son secrétaire, en abbé. Il s'agit de profiter de l'année sainte pour se glisser au milieu des pèlerins et récupérer le magot. Mais l'avion qui doit les mener à Rome est détourné sur Tanger par des pirates de l'air.
Jury of One, 1h35
Directed by André Cayatte
Origin France
Genres Drama, Crime
Actors Sophia Loren, Jean Gabin, Michel Albertini, Julien Bertheau, Mario Pilar, Gisèle Casadesus
Roles Leguen
Rating61% 3.099593.099593.099593.099593.09959
André Léoni, dont le père était un truand notoire, a véritablement été « couvé » par sa mère depuis sa plus tendre enfance. Pourtant André se retrouve un jour en cour d'assises, accusé d'un crime odieux : il aurait violé et tué une jeune fille, Annie Chartier, la fille d'un professeur lyonnais. Malgré les graves présomptions qui semblent l'accuser d'être l'auteur de ce crime, André persiste à nier devant les jurés. Face à cet homme qui se prétend innocent, le président Leguen qui préside sa dernière affaire en cours d'assises avant de prendre sa retraite. Leguen s'acharne sur le jeune homme persuadé qu'André Léoni ment et que le milieu dans lequel il a grandi est responsable de son destin criminel. La mère d'André, Térésa, va tout tenter pour sauver son fils.
Two Men in Town, 1h40
Directed by José Giovanni
Origin France
Genres Drama, Crime
Themes Prison films, Films about capital punishment
Actors Jean Gabin, Alain Delon, Michel Bouquet, Mimsy Farmer, Victor Lanoux, Ilaria Occhini
Roles Germain Cazeneuve
Rating72% 3.6439253.6439253.6439253.6439253.643925
After an early release from prison in 1952, an ex-safe cracker finds honest work and a new love. But when a vengeful cop begins to stalk him, and his ex-gang tries to lure him back, his determination to go straight is pushed to the breaking point.
The Dominici Affair, 1h45
Directed by Claude Bernard-Aubert, Gilbert Roussel
Origin France
Genres Drama, Crime
Actors Victor Lanoux, Jean-Pierre Castaldi, Gérard Darrieu, Paul Crauchet, Geneviève Fontanel, Gérard Depardieu
Roles Gaston Dominici
Rating66% 3.3037153.3037153.3037153.3037153.303715
Ce film reconstitue l'enquête policière et affaire judiciaire éponyme qui s'est déroulée en 1952. Jean Gabin y joue le rôle de Gaston Dominici, un patriarche accusé par la justice et sa famille du massacre de trois Anglais sur les bords d'une route à proximité de sa propriété.
Killer
Killer (1972)
, 1h25
Directed by Denys de La Patellière, Bernard Stora, Thierry Chabert
Origin France
Genres Drama, Thriller, Crime
Themes La provence
Actors Jean Gabin, Fabio Testi, Bernard Blier, Uschi Glas, Ginette Garcin, Félix Marten
Roles Commissaire Le Guen
Rating54% 2.705762.705762.705762.705762.70576
Le commissaire divisionnaire Le Guen, qui a réussi à arrêter le tueur Georges Gassot, se heurte aux méthodes plus modernes de François Tellier, nouveau directeur de la P.J. Gassot s'enfuit de l'hôpital psychiatrique à destination de Marseille où il rencontre une jeune prostituée allemande Gerda. Mais Le Guen, par l'intermédiaire d'un journaliste, fait croire au Milieu que Gassot est à Marseille pour se mettre à la tête de leurs affaires ; le meurtre du souteneur de Gerda, à Marseille, et celui du passeur de Gassot à Marseille laissent croire à cette version. Gassot remonte à Paris, suivi par Le Guen.
The Cat
The Cat (1971)
, 1h26
Directed by Pierre Granier-Deferre, Dominik Graf
Origin France
Genres Drama
Themes Films about animals, La banlieue française, Films about suicide, Vieillesse, Films about cats, Mise en scène d'un mammifère
Actors Jean Gabin, Simone Signoret, Annie Cordy, Harry-Max, Jacques Rispal, Nicole Desailly
Roles Julien Bouin
Rating74% 3.7438953.7438953.7438953.7438953.743895
Un couple de retraités, les Bouin, habite en banlieue parisienne (à Courbevoie) dans les années 1970, en plein bouleversement du fait des travaux d'urbanisme moderne d'alors. Julien Bouin est un ancien ouvrier typographe ; sa femme, Clémence Bouin, est une ancienne trapéziste de cirque dont la carrière s'est terminée trop tôt en raison d'une chute lors d'un spectacle. Ils n'ont jamais eu d'enfants.
The Black Flag Waves Over the Scow, 1h18
Directed by Michel Audiard
Origin France
Genres Comedy
Themes Transport films, Rail transport films
Actors Jean Gabin, Ginette Leclerc, Jacques Marin, Éric Damain, Claude Piéplu, Micheline Luccioni
Roles Victor Ploubaz
Rating55% 2.7724552.7724552.7724552.7724552.772455
Alexandre Volabruque, le chef d'Antoine Simonet à la SNCF, à Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, félicite chaleureusement son employé pour la construction d'une maquette en allumettes d'une frégate avec laquelle il vient de remporter un prix à l'exposition des artistes cheminots. Mais Volabruque, qui a de la suite dans les idées, tient à présent à ce que Simonet lui construise un véritable bateau pour pêcher la daurade. Il a en effet l'idée fixe d'aller passer sa retraite à Dieppe, à bord d'un Grondin, qui lui permettrait de vivre du produit de sa pêche. Simonet, songeant à son avancement, n'ose pas refuser, d'autant plus que Volabruque a encore deux ans à faire avant de prendre sa retraite… et n'est pas réputé pour être tendre.
The Horse
The Horse (1970)
, 1h17
Directed by Pierre Granier-Deferre
Origin France
Genres Drama, Thriller
Themes Films about families, Medical-themed films, Films about drugs
Actors Jean Gabin, André Weber, Eléonore Hirt, Pierre Dux, Christian Barbier, Julien Guiomar
Roles Auguste Maroilleur
Rating68% 3.442483.442483.442483.442483.44248
In Normandy, the widower Auguste Maroilleur rules his family and his farm with an iron hand. Bien Phu, a disabled veteran of the war in Indochina, is a valued employee. Out shooting duck, Auguste and Bien Phu discover a huge cache of heroin. Auguste deduces that his grandson Henri, whose vacation job is on a ship, must be a courier. He destroys the drug, worth millions, and confines Henri to a cellar. When the gangsters cannot find their man or their merchandise, they try to destroy Auguste's livelihood and peace of mind. They burn a barn, brutally kill his cattle and rape his virgin granddaughter. He and Bien Phu fight back, eventually killing all five villains by shotgun and grenade. This private war does not go unnoticed and the police bring the whole family in for questioning. Following Auguste's orders, none of them give a thing away and all are released.